When She Grows Up in Beauty
by Tsubame Ongaku
Summary: Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes: **Another Tomoyo story. She has forever been my favorite character. I had first read about her in Wikipedia and I just thought she was adorable. I hadn't even seen the show yet. I was amazed by the coincidence that we both had the same birthday. September 3. This is not going to be very long most likely. I really don't have much free time for long stories anymore. The only long stories I will be continuing are those I started a long time ago. I hope you guys enjoy this though this really is an unusual fandom and pairing for me to write. This pairing was a request by someone who PMed me. I thought it would be interesting to try. Hahaha…

I have read a lot of CLAMP's works. And here, I am trying to make this sound CLAMP-like again. I have read _'Suki.'_ I am trying to get the same feel because I really do love the story. It is very simple and cute!

**

* * *

**

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

**

* * *

**

**:Chapter I:**

**Eleven Years Old: Scarlet**

**

* * *

**

Touya Kinomoto had always believed that he was born in the wrong Era. He belonged in an Era that has long since died: _The Era of the Great Samurais_. At least that was what he had always been told. People can see that invisible armor that he wears as visible as daylight. He had been that way since he was a child.

A patient soul. Unwavering loyalty. Strong will. Natural charisma. Unnerving potential.

Everyone around him knew that he wouldn't grow up to be an ordinary man. Looking into his eyes, you'd know that he had the heart of a warrior. All he had to do was give you a look and men would freeze in their tracks. Of course, he would tell his friends and family that they were being ridiculous. He was just a little different from his peers, that didn't make him the warrior they seem to think he was.

So, he didn't smoke, drink, didn't like playing games with girls, a little protective of his little sister, want to earn a living for himself and can fight a little better than most? They are surely overestimating him.

"I don't understand why you people think I am some kind of knight," muttered Touya, one Sunday morning at breakfast with his sister's bestfriend. She had a sleepover with his sister, but at usual, his little sister, Sakura was still sleeping. Apparently, her friend had always been an early riser like him. She helped him make breakfast even though he insisted that it was his turn, but she was terribly insistent.

He hadn't known Tomoyo Daidouji for long. In fact, he had only met her a year ago.

But, from what he could make of her she was incredibly mature and intelligent for her age. Those books he saw her bring the other night were not normal light-reading books. Even college students wouldn't read those. He could also see that she is going to grow up to be an incredible beauty. Probably going to need those bodyguards of hers to keep the boys away. At that thought, he chuckled.

That wasn't all that was scary about her. The girl was perceptive. All she had to do was look at you with those big, dark eyes of hers and you'd know that she'd really looking.

Standing beside him, mixing the batter for the pancakes. They were making blueberry pancakes that morning. It was Tomoyo's favorite, according to Sakura so he had planned to make their guest feel welcome by having them.

"No, you aren't a knight at all," agreed the young girl, then looking up from what she was doing. "I can't imagine you as a gallant, flamboyant knight at all. You are more like a samurai. A brooding and silent fighter."

At that, Touya was caught off guard and didn't know how to reply to that. "Tch, not you too," groaned Touya. "Where do you get these ideas? Reading one too many fairytales?"

Tomoyo giggled and continued mixing her batter. For some reason, she was not surprised by that answer. It was apparent to her that he just didn't see what other people saw, or just simply stubbornly refuses to see himself as anything more than an ordinary man.

For a few minutes, they walked in silence. It was a peaceful moment and Tomoyo liked it very much. Cooking breakfast for herself was nothing unusual for her. She often did it back home, but she didn't feel lonely now. It wasn't because Touya was an avid conversationalist. In fact, he barely said anything at all.

All he had to do was be there. It felt strange how comfortable she felt with him. He had quietly helped her around their kitchen. Helping her reach for things she couldn't reach, hand her the things she could not find and do the dangerous parts of cooking, like the slicing and cutting. He really didn't need to worry though, because Tomoyo knew how to cook very well… but his concern was really endearing. His concern for her was very touching.

"Do you have soccer practice this morning?" Finally asking after a long silence. She had finished mixing the batter and was now getting ready to cook them over the fire. She tried reaching for the spatula, but when she couldn't Touya easily took it and placed it closer to her reach.

He guessed that meant that Sakura mentioned to her that he was on the soccer team.

Shaking his head and then took off his apron. The pancakes were cooking, the juice was in the freezer, his and his father's bento were ready. It was now time to set the table for four of them. Opening the cupboards, he took out the plates, glasses and utensils. He didn't have soccer practice but he did have a job at the Aquarium in a few hours.

Seeing Tomoyo by the stove, he asked, "Why don't you let me do that instead?" He meant cooking the pancakes.

But, Tomoyo was adamant. She insisted that she wanted to do it. She could make it very well because it was her favorite. It was a recipe she had learned from grandfather and she wanted to make it for them. Touya had no choice but to let her, she seemed determined to have her way… and if she was anything like her mother, she always did have her way.

He sighed and shrugged his broad shoulders. It didn't take him very long to set the table, and when he was done he went over to choose a picture of his mother from their very big collection. He chose one of his favorites, the picture where she was happily holding a bouquet of Nadeshiko flowers.

"Good morning, mom," said he as he carefully placed the photo on the center of the table.

Tomoyo joined him a few seconds later, also taking off her apron. "Aunt Nadeshiko?" She couldn't help but ask. He nodded, but she already knew… because the lady looked very much like Sakura.

There were many times she wished that she had met Nadeshiko. Her mother was so fond of her. She even kept her hair long for her mother because it reminded her of Nadeshiko.

Touya nodded. He wasn't really much of a conversationalist. Now that breakfast was finished, he didn't know what else there was to do. They were going to have to wait for Sakura and their father to get up. It might take a while though because Fujitaka had stayed up late to work on his presentation at the University and Sakura always slept in on Sundays.

Tomoyo sat demurely in front of the photo. They could nothing but wait.

He decided to get his things ready while they were waiting. To be honest, he didn't know how it happened. One second he saw her staring at the photo of his mother on the table and the next second she was watching him carefully getting his things together. When she saw him looking back at her, she turned away, her cheeks turning into a light shade of pink.

Touya noticed, but he shrugged it off as Tomoyo merely being embarrassed that she got caught looking at him. Plenty of girls at school did the same thing.

"What time is your mother going to pick you up?"

"She isn't. My bodyguards will. Mother is in England at the moment." There wasn't any sign of remorse at all. He noticed that as well. From what he heard from Sakura, Tomoyo saw her mother only a few times in a month. It couldn't be easy to grow up barely seeing her mother. It was no wonder she grew up to be as mature as she is.

She could cook, sew and wash clothes even though she was the Daidouji princess.

Since she spent so much time alone, she had to learn to do a lot of things on her own.

Her eyes darted to Touya, no longer looking shy. Now, looking merely curious. "Why do you work so many jobs? I thought I saw you working at the crepe stand a few days ago."

"I am saving up to pay for college. My dad is a great guy, but I don't want to depend on him my whole life," muttered Touya, wondering what was taking his father and sister so long. "Do you want to eat ahead? Those pancakes would taste better hot."

Saving for his own College tuition? Why didn't she seem very surprised? As a child, she had heard that samurais were very proud warriors. The true warrior was especially stubborn about accepting too much kindness from their liege.

Again, she could not help but think that maybe Touya belonged in a different age.

Tomoyo paused for a moment and replied that maybe she'll just get a bite. Picking up the fork and knife, he cut a small piece and took a bite. The taste was wonderful, just as she thought. She really did love her great grandfather's recipe.

"That looks good."

"It is!"

Touya smiled at her pleased expression. "Can I get a bite?"

Without hesitation, Tomoyo sliced a slightly bigger piece than the one she got and offered it to him. He was used to this kind of exchange with Yukito and Sakura, so he didn't even think of it as anything unusual. Bending a bit, he took a bite of the pancake and nodded. It really did taste good.

Tomoyo was delighted at his very simple praise. A praise from Touya was always heartfelt.

"Thank you," whispered the girl, almost too quietly.

But he heard her. "You're welcome."

The few minutes after he said that, he didn't even notice that they were staring at each other. It was when Sakura finally entered the kitchen did they broke the connection.

"Brother? Tomoyo-chan?" yawned Sakura, not noticing the strange atmosphere she walked into. Sakura was much too tired to notice anything really different that morning. Though, she was immediately excited at the sight of pancakes on the table. "Are those pancakes? Those look delicious! Who made them?"

"I did," admitted Tomoyo very shyly at first. "Great- grandfather's recipe."

"Tomoyo-chan! It's just delicious!"

Touya watched his little sister eat so heartily, he chuckled and joined them at the table. "We could hear you from a mile away… monster."

"I'm not a monster!"

Touya gave a sly grin and smirked. "You stomp around and scream like one."

Tomoyo giggled. They both knew that Sakura wasn't screaming at all. Neither of them even notice Sakura get up. It was really a wonderful sight to see the two siblings argue. There were many times she had wondered what it was like to have siblings.

Touya noticed the dreamy expression on his cousin's face. Before he could wonder what she was thinking, a voice interrupted him.

"_She wishes for siblings,"_ said a faint voice.

He looked up and saw his mother, her wings beautifully enveloping her. Nadeshiko smiled down at him with a very knowing expression. She knew what he was thinking.

"_I was an only child as well, like Tomoyo_," continued Nadeshiko, putting one hand on his shoulder_. "Sonomi always said that I gave the same expression when I saw our friends with their siblings."_

Touya knew all those. It wasn't very hard for him to notice her loneliness. As a child, she must have often had to play by herself… alone in that big house of theirs. But, she didn't want to worry her mother, so she developed an early maturity. Cursing to himself, he berated himself for admiring the girl too much. After all, she is only _eleven years old_.

He couldn't reply to his mother, not if he didn't want to frighten the girls. Ghost stories had always frightened Sakura. He didn't know much about Tomoyo, but he wasn't sure she believed in ghosts.

Nadeshiko knew that she couldn't stay long on Earth. Floating towards Sakura, she gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before she left to go to heaven. Before she left, she asked him to take care of Sakura. He nodded in reply. Satisfied, her great wings spread white and as quickly as she appeared, she was gone.

"Sakura makes a very cute sleeping face," teased Tomoyo, closing her eyes and speaking in a dreamy voice. "I am so glad that I decided to bring my video camera after all!"

At that, Sakura started blushing and flailing. After all this time, she still felt shy whenever Tomoyo talked about videotaping her. Last night, she had video taped her and Kero-chan fighting over a piece of cake, her brother calling her, 'Monster' and her father giving her a very affectionate kiss on the forehead before bed without noticing.

Nobody noticed her putting her camera away after that… nobody, except maybe Touya…

Out of respect and understanding, he never said anything. It is none of his business and he didn't think she wanted anybody to notice, so he pretended he didn't. Neither she nor Sakura ever spoke about her father. He had no idea what happened to him or if he was even still alive… but like Sakura, he knew better than to pry on very sensitive topics especially when he had really no business to.

He had finished much faster than the girls and he had to leave for work anyway. As he was putting on his shoes, he sensed someone coming towards him. It was Tomoyo and she was carrying his bento. Much to his surprise because it was usually Sakura who did this for him.

"Where's Sakura?"

Packing his bento into his bag herself, she explained to him that Sakura thought it was only fair if she did the clean up since they made breakfast. Touya sighed and nodded. If Tomoyo was older and people didn't know them, they would resemble a married couple. But, to Tomoyo and Touya she was merely doing what Sakura could not do for herself at the moment.

"I'll be going ahead," sad Touya, picking up his bag and stepping out the door. He looked back in time to see Tomoyo smile ever so sweetly and saying, "Please take care of yourself."

Hearing that, he found himself like the sound of it.

Once the door was closed and she was alone, her hand moved up to where her heart is and closed her eyes. Sakura stepped into the hall some time later, seeing her bestfriend still standing there with her eyes closed and her hand on her heart. Curious, but knowing better than to pry… she slinked off to finish her work in the kitchen.

Outside, He got his bike out from the backyard and was off. It wasn't long before, he met Yukito on the way. This is clearly routine for them. His sister's guardian had started working there with him as well. Yukito waved in greeting. Touya didn't return the gesture, but slowed down just a bit for his bestfriend to catch up.

"You seem to be in a very good mood this morning," commented Yukito, pedaling beside him. To most people, Touya didn't look very different, but Yukito was his bestfriend and he knew him too well.

"Shut up, you're imagining it."

Yukito laughed and didn't say anything else because he had already expected this kind of reply from him, but he had an idea what his mood was about. He called their house last night, and he knew that they had a visitor... is she the reason for this strange mood of his?

If it is, then he could guess what is going on in his head at the moment.

_She is only eleven years old._

**~~00~~**

Tomoyo Daidouji is everything a little girl wants to be. The girl promises to be a true Japanese beauty, rich, graceful, talented and intelligent beyond her years. One didn't need an IQ to realize that. But, she is more innocent than people believed.

The next morning, Monday at school, the girls were talking about _'Like' _and the different kinds of _'Like.'_ Nobody can remember who opened it. Maybe it was Chiharu. She was complaining that Yamazaki again was telling an outrageous lie that putting pigtails on mummies in Ancient Egypt is a form of cursing the person in the Afterlife.

Then… they arrived to the question… _how do you know when you like?_

Chiharu was talking about Yamazaki.

She _liked_ him and she liked her teddy bear. Her teddy bear didn't drive her crazy like Yamazaki always did, but strangely Chiharu admitted that she_ liked_ him that way. A lie by any other person just didn't feel the same.

Naoko was talking about a penpal of hers.

She_ liked_ getting letters. Letters from her mother, father, grandparents and cousins. But when she got a letter with his name on it, her heart feels aflutter. Like it had grown butterfly wings. Even though they are so far away, she could still feel he is near in his letters.

Rika was quieter, but from the lost look on her eyes and a faint blush on her cheeks, Tomoyo could tell that she was thinking about her boyfriend. She_ liked_ her boyfriend. It didn't matter that he was a lot older than they were. They were very careful with their relationship because they understood that they did not have the conventional sort of relationship. But, she promised them that she would introduce him someday.

Tomoyo already knew who he is.

Even dear Sakura spoke of Syaoran… and his last letter from Hong Kong.

Sakura_ liked_ Syaoran. Everytime she hears his voice and reads about his stories in Hong Kong, her heart beats so fast that she couldn't breathe. It saddens her when she could not hear from him for long lengths of time. It lightens her when she finally does. She liked her father, her brother, Tomoyo and everyone… but no other person but Syaoran made her feel as strange as this.

That is how she knew that it is a strange kind of _like._

Unlike her peers, she could not be as confident to say that she is in _like. _Tomoyo excused herself and walked down the path of Sakura trees and made sure not to go beyond the sight of the group, then taking a seat on the biggest tree.

It is true that she loved and adored Sakura. Her happiness is Tomoyo's happiness. But, her heart doesn't beat fast when she is near. No. It beats fast when one other particular person is near. Her heart didn't ache every time she sees her back towards her. She often congratulated herself for hiding it so well for so long.

What is _like?_

Why are her _feelings_ and her _heart _telling her two different things?

"Tomoyo? Are you alright?"

Rika had separated herself from Sakura and the others to go to her. In response, she gave a gentle and reassuring smile. "I'm alright," reassuring her friend, making sure that she sounded as convincing as possible.

"Sakura told me that you might need me." Taking a seat beside her. Rika is the only other girl in their class that is quite possibly more mature than she is. "I don't think she understands… but I believe she sensed something is wrong. That may be why she asked me to talk to you. Sakura is very sensitive."

Tomoyo didn't know if it is possible to love Sakura more than she did that moment, but she did. It also filled her with guilt to have worried her so much. Had she sensed her problem? Is that why she asked _Rika_ to talk to her? If Sakura was able to sense her heart, then it is true that she is indeed growing more powerful.

Unfortunately, even she did not know what to say or how to approach this.

Glancing towards Sakura, she seemed to be animatedly talking with Naoko and Chiharu. She really did feel guilty for worrying her. If she had more answers, maybe she would have been able to tell her.

"I apologize if I caused you all to worry so much. I didn't know I was thinking so deeply," sighed Tomoyo, then gave her best bright smile. There was no reason to cause alarm for her friends. When Sakura turned to check on her, Tomoyo gave a smile and she smiled back before her attention was taken again by Naoko who wished to tell a joke. "Rika-chan, _liking him…_it seems very hard."

It is a vague statement, but Rika understood what she meant. "It is," admitted Rika. "But, if it was very easy… it wouldn't really be liking, would it? For it to be real, you have to know if it is strong enough to bear anything."

Liking that person must have been very hard for Rika, yet she could sit beside her and smile like it isn't anymore difficult than tying a hair ribbon. This person is strong, Tomoyo realized. Reaching for Rika's hand, she then gave it a light squeeze.

"Was it difficult?" Tomoyo asked, finally showing signs of worry for the first time. "Was it difficult getting him to like you… I fear- I fear that he can only see me as a child."

Giggling, pleased to finally see the vulnerable Tomoyo. She had known her for years, but she had never seen Tomoyo show vulnerability. "I had the same problem as well." After a few seconds of pause, thinking of how she can explain it best to her. "Show him in little ways. Not all at once… that you will not always be a child. It will take time… it varies depending on how stubborn they are."

And, Touya is an incredibly stubborn person.

Nodding, she told her, "Thank you, Rika. You are really strong. I wish I were as strong as you."

"But, Tomoyo-chan, you are strong." Rika took her other hand and held both Tomoyo's hands gently. "You don't see it now, but you might very soon…"

All Tomoyo could do was hope that Rika was right.

Minutes later, the bell rang and knew that they had to return for class. Rika and Tomoyo rushed to join their friends. Sakura must have sensed Tomoyo's change of mood, because she looked very relieved when they returned.

"Are you alright now, Tomoyo-chan?" asked the young Cardcaptor Mistress.

"I am now… thank you, Sakura-chan. For caring so much."

"Don't be silly! We're friends!" reminding her as they began walking to their classroom. "What's our next class?"

"Math… I think," answered Chiharu.

When Sakura heard that she exclaimed and gave an adorably cute, scared face. Math, will always remain the bane of her life. Like always, Tomoyo gave her cousin an encouraging smile and told her to give her best. Like always, Sakura gave a forlorn expression but said that she would.

In class, Tomoyo could only think of what Rika told her. However, solving those Mathematical problems seem easier than solving problems of the heart.

Playing with her pencil, she stared at the blank page in her notebook, thinking, _"There are some things in this world… where understanding simply isn't enough anymore."_ What can she do with knowing? What can she do when there is nothing she can do about it?

Sakura was watching her. Since the morning she saw Tomoyo standing by the door, she could not help but feel worried. The Tomoyo-chan she saw that returned to the kitchen that time seemed like the normal Tomoyo, but lately Sakura is beginning to notice subtle things. Her cousin sometimes would stare into space and sigh, and when she catches Sakura looking at her she would smile reassuringly.

It is true that she didn't know exactly what Tomoyo is thinking about.

It is true that she didn't know what is wrong, but she didn't want Tomoyo to think that she was alone, even if she didn't think she can tell her.

Her big brother looked like he's been thinking a lot lately. She understood that it may be because he's stressed about getting into the University soon, but sometimes she wondered if that was it. No matter how much she thought, she just couldn't understand. Tomoyo is too kind, she won't tell her anything that will worry her. Her brother tells her that she didn't have to worry about him. He is a big boy.

Why were two people she loved being this way?

When the final bell finally rang for the day, she took a deep breath and skipped over to where Tomoyo was carefully putting away her things into her bag. "Tomoyo-chan! Let's walk home together!"

In reply, her friend giggled and told her that it is her pleasure. Putting away her last notebook, she puts on her back pack and took her bestfriend's hand. "Let's go?"

They said their goodbyes to Rika, Naoko and Chiharu before leaving. As they walked, they giggled and talked about the lessons that day, the strange lie that Yamazaki told and their teacher tripping over his own chair. Smartly, Sakura avoided the topic about the conversation she had with the others that morning, not wanting her friend to feel uncomfortable.

"Where is your brother going for University?"

Sakura sighed and replied, "He doesn't want to go in the same University daddy teaches. He says that he didn't want people to think that he is getting by with daddy's influence." Her expression became a little sad as she continued. "He says he is also leaving home next year and live by himself."

The songstress felt like something akin to crushing her heart when she heard that. It shouldn't be a surprise, but- Touya really is someone with a heart of a fighter… a samurai. He wants to become a man fast. But, she is still a girl. Does she really have the time and-

"How about Yukito-san?"

She shook her head. "Yukito-san says that Yue-san said that he wants to be near me."

"I see. How do you feel… about your brother deciding to leave?"

They walked quietly for a few minutes. How did she feel about it? For all their fighting, she really loved her brother. It is hard to imagine waking up in the morning and not find her brother cooking breakfast or make fun of her cooking. "I feel… a bit sad. I never really thought of my brother leaving before he telling daddy that."

"Did you expect things never to change?"

"No! It- it isn't… that." Biting her lip, she felt the confusion again. "I…I'm just going to miss him."

Tomoyo gave her a soft look as if to say, _'I am going to miss him too.'_

Sakura blinked. It couldn't be that. She must be imagining it.

There is no way she could be completely blind to it, though. Things are changing. She understood that. But-

Arriving at the park, they went immediately to the swings… they stayed on their swing in comfortable silence for a while.

"Is Syaoran-kun doing fine?"

She began to tell Tomoyo about his letters. Apparently, Syaoran doing his best in Hong Kong. Aside from school, he is also learning how to be the Head of the Li family. He made a deal with his family. If he can impress the family, he can return to Japan… but only if he impresses every single person. He must do all this before he turns sixteen. Syaoran never even mentioned what would happen if he failed.

"He's trying his best. But, I can do nothing but wait…"

"Knowing that you're waiting for him, Sakura, is probably enough for him to try his best," assured Tomoyo. It sounded that Syaoran is really going through tough times for Sakura as well.

From what she understood about the Li Clan, it is one of the most influential family in Asia. It is also famous for its great size. To win the favor of every single person in the family, it is going to be a very tough fight.

But, he had made up his mind. He wanted Sakura and no other girl would do. Tomoyo wrote to Syaoran as well… and his resolve is clear. He planned to win the wager… and he didn't care if he had to walk through hell to so that.

Quickly, she changed the subject and they began to talk about another outrageous lie Yamazaki told earlier. Yamazaki told then a story about how the how dentists in other countries use chisels to fix people's teeth. Sakura is convinced it had to be a lie. It would hurt very much.

Tomoyo didn't have the heart to tell her that it is actually true.

Some time later, Tomoyo checked her watch and realized how late it was. And, it was Sakura's turn to make dinner so she had to be home early. They gave each other a hug and went home. At the corner, Tomoyo's bodyguards were there waiting for her to take her home. They were nice to offer her a ride home, but Sakura answered that it was much too beautiful of a afternoon to ride in a car.

When Sakura reached home, she found her brother sifting through a newspaper on the dinner table. Climbing up a chair to take a peek at what he was looking for, she sees that he was looking at apartment ads. Her face dropped. It was really happening. Her mean brother was really leaving.

"Hey, monster. Hasn't anyone ever told you that it is rude to look over someone's shoulder?" said Touya, not even turning to look at her.

It was really happening. Her mean brother was really going to leave too. First, Syaoran and now her brother. Feeling a bit of the melancholy in her heart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him from behind. The action surprised Touya but didn't say a word. He understood completely. There was plenty of guilt in his heart for making this decision.

"It isn't like I am leaving the country all together. I will be coming over to check up on you once in a while and you could visit me at the University," reminded Touya. All their lives, Touya had been protecting his sister. He can trust Yue to do a good job for him, but it really is a kind of change that will need getting used to.

"It… just won't be the same."

Prying her fingers apart, he removed himself from her hug and gathered his sister in his arms and sat her on his lap. He hadn't done that since they were kids. The first and last time he did that, Touya remembered, was when he promised her that he would always protect her. That was after their mother died.

He tucked her head under his chin. "I know. On the bright side, it might be better. Now you wouldn't have to listen to me grumble when that brat is on the phone for you."

Giggling, she shook her head at him. "You're being mean again, brother."

In reply to that, he shrugged and gave one of his very rare grins. "I know. But for me, once a brat is always a brat."

She laughed again at that, but then realized that it was her turn to cook dinner. "Ah! It is my turn tonight, right?" Leaping out of his arms, she went to the kitchen. Touya smirked and went back to sifting through the newspapers. He already knew that that she was going to be making pasta for dinner.

As she began gathering what she would need to make pasta, she began talking about her day in at school. She talked of Yamazaki's lies, the scary Math teacher, cheerleading practice and her worries about her friend, but making sure to avoid talking about Syaoran.

"I think something is the matter with Tomoyo-chan…"

His head didn't move from the paper, but if you look closely enough, it didn't appear like he is reading anymore. "You don't say? Why do you think that?"

Sakura paused in the middle of pouring the tomato sauce into the sauce pan. _Why did she think that?_ The scene from the morning after the sleepover came back to her. "I have this feeling… and Tomoyo-chan has been acting strange lately."

Touya didn't answer. He had a feeling what it might be about. Before he gave his powers to Yukito and Yue, he had sensed something about Tomoyo. Her love for his sister was very strong. How strong he did not know. Could it have something to do with that?

"I don't really know much about girls," admitted her brother, shrugging. Yukito is much better at handling these things. Unfortunately, he was asked by the basketball team to help them out in a game. After that, he had practice for an archery tournament soon. "But, things like these usually just needs time. The kid probably just needs time to iron something things out. Things like that happens a lot when you are growing up."

"But-"

She stopped herself. Touya might be right…and maybe it is a bit selfish that she wants so much to know what was bothering her. Maybe she will tell her when she is ready. They have been bestfriends for a long time and Tomoyo had told her countless times and in countless ways how much she loved her. Her friend is mature and used to doing things at her own pace. Sakura can't fault her for that. In fact, those qualities are a few of that things she admired about her. All she had to do is wait. However, the thought of just standing back and waiting only worried her more.

All she ever does, it seems, is wait. Syaoran and Tomoyo.

And if she waited more, it will be a matter of time before her brother would he leaving too.

A few seconds later, she noticed that her brother was now standing beside her, reaching up the cupboards and got the other ingredients. To her surprise, he began helping her. It was her turn, right. As if reading her mind, he replied, "I need a break." Did he mean from reading the paper? Or from- She smiled and nodded happily. Her brother had always been better at making pasta anyway.

Was this his way of making her feel better?

Smiling as she stirred the sauce, she thought, _"Thank you, brother…"_

**~~00~~**

Tomoyo Daidouji had her hands held together, in a position of prayer. Which is not too far off since she is silently praying. A few months past since that talk she had with Rika and Sakura. A few days ago, Eriol, Spinel Sun, Nakuru Azuki and Ms. Mizuki returned to England. Sakura was now the Mistress of all the cards.

On the outside, she seemed to have completely recovered from whatever was bothering her. It helped Sakura feel a bit more relaxed, though for some reason… something felt off.

At the moment, she was in the bleachers, watching Yukito's archery contest.

Sakura had invited her to watch Yukito's competition with her, but a half an hour ago she received a phone call from her cousin. Apparently, she and Touya were at the University where her father worked. Kero-chan had began playing with some chemicals in the Chemistry lab and blew it up. No one was hurt but the explosion was big. She and Touya are now helping their father calm the panicking students. It is going to take some time because some of the students seem convinced that it is a terrorist attack.

She had apologized so sincerely and profusely; plus she sounded so disappointed already for missing it, that Tomoyo forgave her instantly. It is clear that Sakura felt responsible for what happened. Kero-chan is, after all, her guardian. Before the competition started, she also let Yukito know. For a brief moment he looked sad, but being the kind person he is, Yukito smiled and told her he understood. As he left, he gave her a wink. Despite their absence, he still planned on winning. At that, Tomoyo grinned. She had expected nothing less from Yukito.

When it was Yukito's turn again, she picked up her video camera and began shooting. She smiled as she searched for the perfect angle. There was no doubt in her mind that Yukito, her dear Sakura's guardian will win. From behind the camera lens, Tomoyo could see the calm determination on the moon guardian's face. It is in moments like this that the gentle Yukito resembled his other self so much despite the fact that Yue refuses to acknowledge it.

That determination made Yukito so beautiful to Tomoyo. His will to win made him stand out from all the competitors. There is silence among the competitors and the audience as Yukito got into position.

The wind is blowing calmly and softly. The soft, fair hair on his face danced with the wind.

He pulled the bowstrings back and positioned his arrow to shoot, knowing full well that if he made this shot… he is going to win. Tomoyo wondered if Yukito was feeling any tension at all. Whenever she had a performance, she always felt those brief few seconds of nervousness. If he did, he was hiding it well. A few seconds felt like an eternity and then he lets go-

Her camera followed the arrow as it pierced the target in a perfect bull's eye.

The crowd cheered. It is no surprise that Yukito is a favorite among the spectators. There is no mistaking the screams and sighs of his fans in the background either… calling out his name. With the competition finally over, Yukito is back to being the regular Yukito. After accepting his trophy, he turned towards Tomoyo's direction and waved. Her eyes still on the camera lens, capturing this memorable moment, she waved back.

Later, when the fans were content with their autographs and the audience began dwindling down did the two feel like they could finally breathe. Little by little, the people left and only Tomoyo and Yukito seem to be left. They were still waiting for Sakura and Touya who promised that they would be arriving very soon. The situation in the University had calmed down now somewhat and they swore that they could leave very soon.

They agreed to wait for them. It is a very peaceful afternoon and the perfect time to just sit on the grass and watch the clouds as they moved into shape and scattered again, then having the cycle all over again.

Yukito and Tomoyo had never been what people could call close, but they were civil and friendly with each other. And because of Yukito's kindness, Tomoyo did like him well enough. For a while, Tomoyo thought that they would stay that way in friendly silence as they always did but to her surprise Yukito chose to speak.

"I heard from Touya. You think of him as a knight?"

He had this conversation with Touya a few days ago at work. It is very unusual for Touya to talk about a girl… or even what a girl said about him. Yukito knew that his friend probably didn't notice what he was doing. It was fun though.

Tomoyo shook her head. "Not a knight. A samurai. The picture of a knight clearly doesn't suit him." She closed her eyes and smiled, as she continued. "A knight is flamboyant and a bit frivolous, but samurais… they have a unique, quiet strength." Opening her eyes and turning to him, she asked, "Don't you think he is?"

Yes, he did think so. And, once again this girl is impressed him with her sharp, perceptive eyes. Despite knowing very little about Touya, she was already able to read him well. He did think of Touya that way as well. Most people just think that Touya is not normal. But, frankly… even with or without powers Touya would have still been the same. He would fight and earn for the things he want. It was even safe for Yukito to admit that it is those abnormal qualities that made loving Touya quite easy.

There is no hiding it and Tomoyo probably already noticed it too.

"I happen to agree with you," admitted Yukito, his eyes still on the clouds and admiring the magic. It always seemed like magic to him every time the clouds gather together forming a shape. He chuckled when he saw a manjuu shaped one. "He is more of a samurai than a knight in shining armor."

Suddenly, there was the sound of growling. They froze for a second and then suddenly laughed. Yukito apologized for his stomach. When the laughter was finally done, he invited her to a nearby café to eat. They can come back later after they ate. Tomoyo nodded and accepted the invitation. Now that he mentioned food, she was a little hungry.

The café was quaint and sweet. It was really like the kind of café that Tomoyo herself would choose to try. It was called, "_Treasure Box Café."_ They were wearing cute uniforms. The males wore black butler uniforms, while the females wore the female version of those uniforms. Looking the same, except for their pleated skirts. The waitresses were very nice and they seemed to be already very familiar with Yukito. Once they gave their orders, with Yukito practically ordering everything on the menu, and the everyone went back to work, he explained it was because he came here all the time after practice and used to work there with Touya.

The café reminded her of one of those small and comfortable cafés in Paris. She often visited them when she went to Paris with her mother on the occasional times she could accompany her in meetings. To her, they were always the best part of Paris.

"You and Touya seem to work everywhere."

Yukito laughed and agreed that it did seem to sound that way. His attention then went to the camera that she kept protectively inside her bag. "Did you get any good shots of me?" teased the young archer.

She responded to his teasing with a sigh and pretended to feel disappointed. "Unfortunately, I could not. Your fans kept screaming and it was quite difficult to hear anything amidst their screams."

Knowing very well that she was teasing, Yukito laughed and asked if he could borrow the camera. She nodded and handed it to him, asking him very nicely to be careful with it. She still had some new shots of Sakura that she had not uploaded into her computer yet. Promising to be careful, he began scanning the videos inside. As he thought, she had taken a lot of good shots of him in the competition. Even with his untrained eye when it came to cinematography, he could tell that they were good.

Unsurprisingly, he saw a lot of pictures of Sakura as well. There were shots of her practicing her cheerleading at the field, running during PE class and looking very nervous while she tried to answer her Math homework. Yukito couldn't stop giggling. Sakura-chan really is very cute.

As he went on, he noticed that the next few shots were of Sakura in her home. It showed the charming Sakura when she is unguarded in her own home. Sakura with her father, with Kero-chan and Sakura struggling with her English essay. Still very cute.

It was then that Yukito began noticing something. He noticed Touya was in the background in most of the shots. It was either he was in the kitchen making dinner, helping Sakura with her homework, talking with his dad or making fun of Sakura. It seemed he is always around. Sure, Sakura was in all of the shots but in some shots Touya seemed unnecessarily there. Tomoyo is a great director. She should have noticed it.

"What's wrong, Yukito-san?"

"Eh?" He looked up, finally remembering where he was. His companion was now watching him with a very curious and worried expression. And, at that moment, he realized how much he really cared for her in his own way. To reassure her, he gave a gentle smile. "Nothing at all. I was just thinking. You are very talented, Daidouji-san."

She smiled back with pleasure to be complimented. "Thank you, Yukito-san. I still have a lot to learn, but I thank you."

"Do you still sing? We watched you at the cultural festival and you were wonderful."

"I do. My music teacher practices with me three times a week after school. Teacher is very strict, but I enjoy it immensely. I even have another solo in a competition soon. I am very excited."

"Maybe we can come and watch you."

At the offer, she looked surprised. He never offered that before. It did please her though. "I would like that, but unfortunately it isn't in Tomoeda. We will be competing with other schools all over the country."

"That does sound exciting! Your mother must be proud."

"She is! She can't go, but she asked one of my bodyguards to film my performance. It would be like she is there as well."

Yukito couldn't help thinking that it must be difficult to have a mother that had to work all the time.

"You're a really nice girl, Tomoyo-chan."

Before she could reply, their orders arrived. Tomoyo daintily bit into her strawberry cake and Yukito began eating his whole apple pie. It didn't surprise her anymore that Yukito ate so much. She even believed it is one of the qualities that is so charming about him.

There was silence as they ate. The girl loved the cake. It is truly delicious. Yukito smiled, looking very pleased that she seemed very happy with the cake. Later, he ordered a glass of ice tea and a pitcher for him. Soon, they knew that they had to return. Sakura and Touya will be arriving at the meeting place soon.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yukito-san? Yes?"

With his one hand carrying the cake box with the cake they were going to bring to Sakura and Touya, his other hand went to pat her gently on the head affectionately. Much to the confusion of the girl. "Don't be afraid."

"Afraid?"

There was no reply after that. He signaled for the check. They argued over who was to pay the bill for a few minutes, but despite Tomoyo's insistence Yukito paid the bill. A man should never allow a lady to pay for a meal. When the waitresses found out they were leaving, they gathered around Yukito asking about how Touya was. It wasn't difficult to see that Touya had been very popular in the café while he was there. The questions and the giggling made it quite difficult to leave, but the heiress was quite patient… even answering questions herself. They had wanted to know about Touya's little sister. According to them, Sakura had visited a few times with Yukito or Touya.

"So, you are the bestfriend Sakura-chan was talking about?" One girl asked.

"Eh? How did you-"

The girls giggled and pointed to the video camera. "The video camera. Sakura-chan said that you love to video her. We also heard that you have a very pretty voice!"

At the last part, she smiled. "Pretty voice? Did Sakura-chan really say that?"

"Eh? No." They collectively shook their heads. "It was Touya-kun who told us."

That surprised her. She never thought her bestfriend's older brother ever paid attention to her singing. Also, he couldn't really imagine him complimenting anyone. The waitresses must've noticed her surprised look because they began giggling again. It is a bit of a shock to even hear Touya Kinomoto compliment anyone. Except for his sister, Sakura, they had never really seen Touya really watch another girl. So, they explained what happened…

_It was a typical day at the Treasure Box café. There weren't many customers, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the radio that one of the employees brought to work. Bored, the employees did many things to distract themselves. Some of them would play with the register, one guy was dancing with a broom, another was talking with her boyfriend on the cell phone, another guy was pacing by the door, but Touya… Touya was busy with his homework. With his jobs and school, he often did his homework in the café. It wasn't an unusual thing. _

_ Getting bored with the cute pop music, another employee changed the dial to look for another station. She came to a station that was playing a soft and pretty ballad. After a few lines, Touya looked up from his homework and stared at the radio with a rather curious look on his face. _

_ "That song… it sounds familiar."_

_ "You mean this? It's called, Scarlet, I think It was a pretty popular song before. Are you a fan of the artist? Isn't she great? I am a fan myself!"_

_ Touya looked away, as if trying to remember something. It is a sure thing that he wasn't a fan of the artist. In fact, he wasn't really fond of ballads. It wasn't his type. But, he had heard the song before. Seconds later, his eyes widened as if finally remembering. "I think I remember where I heard it before. That girl sang it before."_

_ "That girl?" the female waitresses chorused. Even the one talking with her boyfriend joined it. They were all asking the same thing in their heads. Who was the girl? Touya Kinomoto never talked about girls other than his sister before. Was she Touya's girlfriend? Did this mean they don't have a chance anymore? _

_ "Is she pretty?" A girl demanded to know. _

_ Touya gave a strange look, not understanding why they seemed so interested. Now he wished he didn't say anything and continued to do his homework. "Yeah, I guess she is."_

_ This caused a panic. Touya thought the girl was pretty. That was not a good sign. The girl really had to be something if Touya would say that. He didn't even really comment much on popular idols._

_ "Did… did she sing it… well?"_

_ This time Touya paused and closed his eyes, listening to the song still playing on the radio. These girls were, to say the least, confusing the hell out of him but it looked like they weren't going to leave him alone until he answered their questions. The girls waited patiently for his answer, their hearts beating at abnormal rates. _

_When he opened his eyes, he nodded. "Yeah. I think she did. Honestly, I think I even like her version better." Maybe he was wrong because he wasn't really an expert on music. Somehow, when he heard Tomoyo sing it… he could sense her feelings much more strongly than the artist now singing on the radio. _

_ "What!" came another chorus. They couldn't take it anymore… they just had to find out who this mystery girl was. "Who is she, Touya-kun? Is she your girlfriend?"_

_ "What are you talking about?"_

_ Whenever he got caught up in these kind of situations, he really didn't know what to do. Why do they want to know? AT times like these, he thought that it would probably be better to stay silent. _

_ "The girl! The pretty girl that can sing better than Aya Kago!" _

_ He raised his eyebrow and gave a look as if saying, 'Are-you-all-alright?' They really were acting weirder than usual. "She's my little sister's bestfriend. I watched her sing it at their last festival."_

_ "Little sister's… bestfriend?" From what they know, Sakura-chan was only about eleven years old. If the girl is her bestfriend, that means the girl was still a kid… therefore, not a competition. They laughed together, much to the confusion of Touya, they felt better now. _

_ "We can't wait to meet her then!"_

_ After that incident, Touya never talked about music again in work. _

After telling the story, Tomoyo laughed. These people were all very interesting. It was funny to believe that these pretty girls, in their pretty uniforms, were jealous of her. All of them looked very embarrassed when Tomoyo laughed but then began laughing with her at their own silliness. Yukito joined their laughter. Touya had told him about the incident too, but his version was a bit different from theirs… but still as funny. Touya was really such a dense guy.

"There you two are!"

Tomoyo recognized Sakura's voice immediately. They all looked towards the direction of the voice and saw Sakura running towards them, with Touya walking a few steps behind her his hands in his pockets.

At their arrival, the girls squealed excitedly again. Not wanting to look bad in front of Touya, they went back to work. Yukito and Tomoyo simply had to laugh.

Sakura didn't understand their laughter, but decided to seat down on the empty seat anyway. Tempted to ask, but deciding it was probably a secret joke between them. "When we couldn't find you at the Archery club, we thought you might come here! Tomoyo-chan should really try their strawberry shortcake!"

"I did and it was delicious," replied Tomoyo as she scooted over to give Touya room to sit. "Is everything alright in the University now-?" Her eyes were suddenly on Touya's hands that didn't move from his pockets. It was strange. His hands-

"Yeah, everything is fine now… we dropped Kero-chan home before coming here. He made me promise to bring him home some cake," answered Sakura, looking a bit annoyed by her guardian's demands.

One of the waitresses, the one that asked if she was Sakura's bestfriend, came to get their orders. Sakura ordered Chocolate Parfait and Touya ordered a soda and Tuna sandwich.

Since he arrived, he had been quiet. It was like he was doing everything in his power not to be noticed. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

He excused himself to go wash his hands. In the bathroom, he removed his hands from his pockets. His right hand was injured when he tried to rescue a girl during the blast. He had protected the girl from the glass shards flying around them. After the danger was gone, all he had to do was take off his jacket, so that Sakura wouldn't notice it was in shreds. He had protected the girl's head during landing with his right hand though, and that was how he injured it. Not wanting to worry his sister, he hid his hands. It wasn't as bad as he thought. Just a few scratches and a sprain.

After washing his hands, he exited the bathroom… only to find Tomoyo waiting for him outside and she was carrying a first aid kit that she had borrowed from the café.

"May I see it?"

He didn't move, pretending not to know what she was talking about. However, she wasn't buying it.

"Your hand… may I see it?"

Knowing that it was futile to hide it from her, he shrugged and pulled out his hand and showed it to her. "It's not that bad."

Tomoyo thought he would say something like that and smiled. Touya really is a stubborn Samurai, choosing to suffer in silence and fix wrongs himself. "That might be true, but please… let me do this at least. I understand that you don't want to worry Sakura. That is why I didn't say anything either, but please… let me do this?"

Nodding in reply, he sat down… waiting for her to begin tending to his hand. With a small smile, she did and to Touya's surprise her tending to his hand was not awkward or untrained.

As if reading his mind, she smiled and answered. "I often visit the Children's Hospital near my home. It is one of my mother's favorite Charity projects. I help sometimes."

He smiled back. She never ceased to surprise him.

When she was done, he puts his hand back in his pocket and walked back to their table together.

"Brother? Tomoyo-chan? You two took a long time…"

"I had to make a call," muttered Touya.

"I had to make a call too." Tomoyo didn't really like lying to Sakura, but if she didn't it would upset Sakura. It would worry her too and blame herself if she found out her brother got hurt in the blast.

"I see…"

She wasn't sure exactly yet, but there really was something odd going on with Tomoyo and her brother. For some reason, they were acting strange and looked like they were trying to hide something. Before she could ask anything more, their orders arrived and everyone in the café began gathering around them… asking questions and telling stories…

_"H-Hoee~!"_

**~~00~~**

That night, Tomoyo began working on editing a new movie about Sakura from the clips she gathered from their sleepover. As usual, she couldn't help but smile at Sakura's natural and artless charm. None of her actions were calculated or planned… everything… from tripping over Kero-chan to arguing with Touya were spontaneous. That was what she loved about her.

A few hours later, she realized how late it was. With a yawn, she decided to continue editing in the morning.

_ "Oi, Monster. Stop stomping your big feet."_

Tomoyo looked up to the screen. To her surprise, the focus seemed to be on Touya. She didn't remember filming this scene. The camera kept moving around. It was obviously a bit too heavy for the small plushie.

Touya was cooking dinner. It was steak, if she remembered correctly. He was chuckling as he was chopping the herbs. For some reason, she found herself staring at his smile longer than she intended to.

_"Kero-chan! Where are you? Stop playing with Tomoyo-chan's camera! And Sakura is not a monster!"_

There was a familiar laugh in the background. It was the Sun Guardian, up to his usual tricks. _"The great and talented Cerberus is now putting his talents into being a director! It is called, Sakura Monster!"_ Tomoyo then remembered that Kero had asked to borrow her camera that night while she was taking a bath before dinner.

_"Kero-chan! When I get my hands on you-"_

By the sound of it, Sakura was running upstairs to her room, looking for him.

_"She is going to find you eventually, you know,"_ said Touya as he began stirring the sauce in the sauce pan. He knew exactly where the plushie was, but since he amused him he let him hide a little longer.

_"She's still going to have to catch me!" _

Touya threw the plushie and the camera an amused smile that made even Tomoyo start blushing. _"Good luck with that."_

The next second, Sakura bursts into the kitchen and began chasing after Kero. The plushie left the camera on the dining table. It was much too heavy to carry around. Once they were out of the room, he turned off the stove and walked towards the camera. Picking up the camera, he fumbled with it until he finally found the off switch.

Tomoyo remained silent after watching that, before she began putting back the tapes into their cases and shutting down her computer. Closing the door to her video editing room, she decided that a bath would be nice after such a long day.

With her feet soaking in the tub, she stared at the water filling it up.

Admittedly, for some time, she had been very confused why she was watching Touya so carefully. Maybe it was because he reminded her so much of Sakura? Because she loved Sakura.

Her feelings are telling her that she loves Sakura very much, but her heart sometimes feels happy or feels hurt when she sees Touya. Hidden very well, but it is there.

When the waitresses told her that he commented that her voice is beautiful, she was both surprised and happy. When he left to _'wash his hands,'_ she was worried. When she thinks of him inevitably leaving… she was… very, very sad.

It is all very confusing.

_She knows of his noble heart._

_She knows of his loyalty for those he cares for._

_She knows of protective spirit. _

_She knows he is a fighter._

_And… she still wants to know more about him._ There are still so many things she has yet to discover about him.

Tomoyo began to remember his hand. From the looks of it, it had been crushed against something. He didn't even wince as she had carefully bandaged it. He wanted her to believe that it did not hurt as much as it looked. But, she knew. She knew that it had to be painful because she had seem other people cry over wounds that looked only half as bad as his.

Sighing, she began to remember her strange talk with Yukito. What did he mean by, _Don't be afraid?_ Afraid of what?

Did he… know?

Did he know how she is feeling?

Wrapping her arms around herself, she knew that she was afraid. Because, she is a very smart girl and she suspected where her heart is going… and it made her feel very uncertain and worried. She had to let go of Sakura. Her place is with Syaoran and she knew that.

Before her heart went any further, she had to stop… because she knew that would have to let go again too. She will only hurt herself… because Touya Kinomoto's place was not with her, but with Yukito.

If she really did care for Touya… she would leave them alone.

And, that is exactly what she will do.

Love means to not be selfish.

Being happy for them even if they're place is not with you… isn't it?

It was the sound of the tub overflowing that woke Tomoyo up from her thoughts. Turning the water off, she wanted nothing more but to have her bath and just rest. She was not acting like herself at all. And because of that she is worrying Sakura.

It wasn't like her to be so troubled by things like love. She is someone that should know…

It was easy to say not to be afraid, but so difficult to do. There is a reassurance in knowing and uncertainty in not. She cannot help but feel afraid… And when she does begin to know, must she break her own heart again?

Yes.

Apparently, she has to. Thinking of the, she almost laughed. She really needs to take lessons on how to stop falling for someone you shouldn't.

Tomoyo wasn't the only one up at such a late hour. Touya couldn't sleep either. At that moment, he was downstairs in the kitchen… drinking warm milk and hoping that it would be enough to help him sleep.

It wasn't working though.

He just didn't feel sleepy at all. There were simply too many things bothering him that day. It wasn't like him to have insomnia. He knew it was important for him to get plenty of rest. His stamina wasn't as strong as when he still had his powers. Without them, he tires easily and was an ordinary man.

According to the clock, it was 10:49pm.

Was his dad still up working at this hour? He was pretty sure that he mentioned that he had an important presentation coming up soon. Something about a talk on Mesopotamia. Touya wasn't really sure if he wanted to talk with his dad. It wasn't really something he could casually talk about.

Pulling out his bandaged hand, he ended up staring at it.

"She's only eleven years old," he reminded himself, because sometimes he tended to forget that.

For months he kept telling himself not to forget that she is his little sister's bestfriend. Hurting her would mean hurting Sakura… and even though he liked teasing her, he would never point blank hurt her. Besides, he'd watched her enough times now to know… that she is in love with someone else.

…and what about Yukito?

They had talked that morning, after the girls had left. Lately, he's been acting very strange and it worries him. He's been getting very distracted with something. Touya even caught him on more than one occasion staring into space.

He said that he loved Him.

And, Touya cared for him too… which is why he didn't regret giving his powers to him.

He had always known that Yukito wasn't human. From the very beginning of their acquaintance, he could sense that he was different. At first he had been wary, but he slowly began to accept him.

In a way, Touya did love him too. But, he isn't sure what kind of love yet. All he can be sure of is that he wouldn't like it if anything happened to him and he couldn't prevent it. There was something he wasn't saying, probably trying to hide it as long as possible, not wanting to worry him. Sometimes, Yukito was too predictable.

Of course he'd worry.

There were times when he thought he wasn't looking, he'd throw him looks that looked like he was trying to decide how to say goodbye. He hated those looks… that morning he confronted him about them. It was obvious that he didn't wish to talk about it yet.

_"Touya, when it's time… I'll tell you. For now, please don't worry yourself over it."_

It was so like him to say something like that.

Without realizing it, he found himself staring at the bandage on his hand. In looks, Tomoyo resembled his mother very much, with the exception of eye color. As she had bandaged his hand earlier, he could almost see his mother again.

"Touya? What are you doing up?"

"Dad? You're still working?"

Fujitaka Kinomoto gave his son a tired smile and sat down across the table from him. Finding Touya downstairs was a surprise but certainly not unwelcomed. Maybe a chat would keep him from feeling so tired. "Yes, I am still a long way from finished, unfortunately. Is Sakura-chan sleeping?"

"Mnmm… she is. I'll make you some coffee."

"I am glad and… I appreciate it. Thank you, Touya."

His son shrugged and stood up from the table. He left his empty mug on the sink; took clean mug and a kettle from the cupboard to begin making the coffee.

"You still haven't answered my question."

Without looking behind him, Touya asked what he meant… though he knew perfectly well what. His father is sharp, which is why he had hoped he was sleeping already. Part of him though, believed that this might be what he needed.

"Why are you up so late?"

Waiting for the water to boil, he sighed and turned around to face his father; leaning against the sink. "I couldn't sleep." He frowned, giving his father a look that asked him without words to cease asking questions.

Fujitaka, being an understanding father, decided to go along with his wishes.

Staring blankly at the papers in his hands, he couldn't help but sink into his own deep thoughts as well. He knew that he wasn't the perfect father. There were a lot of things that he couldn't understand about his son. Because of his busy schedule, Touya grew up to be oddly reliable and independent at such an early age. That was why whenever his son was in this sort of mood, he can trust him to settle it on his own.

Whether it was about his first girlfriend, his first love, his worries and his musings, Touya would silently find his own path and answer his own questions.

Of course he'd still grow worried. After all, he is still a father. But, sometimes… he really wished that he could still find a place in his life for his busy father. Looking at his son proudly, their child grew up to be a fine man. He knew that his wife must be very proud.

They stayed quiet that way in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Touya finished making the coffee. Looking at the clock again, he finds that he was still not tired, much to his annoyance.

Touya wasn't blind. He knew that his father was worried and curious. Both siblings were familiar of Fujitaka's _'I'm-worried-but-I-trust-you'_ face. He wasn't sure if their father is aware with it. As far as father's go, Touya thought that theirs is the best. He was busy, but still tried to be a part of his children's everyday lives.

Not being able to take the silence, he sighed, "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry about it."

His father answered with another gentle smile. "I can never understand why children always insist to their parents that they shouldn't worry about them." Putting the coffee mug down before continuing, "Parents will continue to worry even if you tell them not to. They wouldn't truly be parents if they didn't."

Touya had no retort for that, because his father was right. It would be ridiculous to try insisting. Noticing his hesitation to talk more about it, he decided to change the subject. "Did you find an apartment?"

Grateful for the change in the conversation's direction, he shook his head. "No. But, I'll find one by next year."

"Sakura-chan isn't saying anything, but this decision is a painful one for her."

There was no need for a reminder. He knew. "Yukito will take care of her while I am gone… and soon, the brat will be back." He ground his teeth with the last part. How he hated being reminded of her sister's relationship with that Chinese boy. The boy left nothing but a promise, but for some reason… he knew he could trust him to keep it.

"Be careful, and make sure to visit us from time to time." It is a sad and lonely thing when you begin to see your children are growing up. Touya was not at all like him or Nadishiko. Every since he was a child, he reminded him of Sonomi Daidouji. Protective, stubborn and wouldn't accept that anybody else but themselves could protect those under their wing.

"You know I will."

After that, he excused himself to return to his room. He was still not at all tired, but he figured that he would probably feel tired eventually. He passed by Sakura's room, remembering their talk that morning she found him looking for apartments. Guilt was biting him. She was not his to protect anymore soon.

_ What now?_

He shook his head trying to clear it. Sakura may not need him to protect her, but he was still her brother and would always be a part of her life. Yukito was a protector as well, he didn't need his protection.

Out of habit, he opened the door and peeked inside through the small crack. He smiled seeing his pretty sister sleeping so peacefully on her bed. Who would have thought that such a small person is now the most powerful magician in the world? Kero-chan was sleeping peacefully in his makeshift room, he knew. Stepping inside, making sure not to wake her. It was so late.

Boys… and the future…

"Soon, the little monster will become a big monster," he muttered teasingly, not really caring that no one was listening. He pushed her bangs away from her face affectionately and stood up. It was time to go to bed.

He didn't know how… but he might as well try counting sheep.

As he was about to leave, he noticed something on his sister's desk. It was a CD. Curious, he picked it up and tried to read the label in the dark room. It was a compilation of Tomoyo's song recordings. Apparently, she was going to send it to her friend in England. He didn't know why… but he brought it with him when he went out. What did he have to lose? He tried everything else.

Once inside his room, he slipped the CD into his CD player and sat on his bed. The CD began with a short introduction from Tomoyo:

_"I hope this reached you with no problems, Hiirgizawa-kun. I wanted to send you something special for all your help at the Cultural Festival…"_

Help? Didn't he hear that he was in England?

Then the music began with a beautiful piano instrumental. It piqued his interest. The song was definitely familiar. He had heard of it before. But where-?

Moments later, Tomoyo's melodious voice began… and he could only smile. Yes, he knew this song. He knew this song very well.

Finally feeling relaxed, Touya laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, losing himself to her beautiful song. As he thought, she captured the song in a way the original artist could only dream about.

_ What was the name again?_

Then, he smiled before muttering, "Scarlet."

**

* * *

**

**Tsubame:** I started this story the same time as_, "Nightingale and the Phantom of Red Moon."_ In the end, I found it difficult to do two stories at the same time. After I finished Nightingale, I had planned to start on this. Hahaha… but I haven't really finished it, though. I hope you like it. I really love Tomoyo and Touya very much. But, this is an experiment just like all the others. I don't know why I am so fond of experimenting.

**Notes:**

_Aya Kago-_ A fictional Idol and based her from Ai Kago. Those who are big fans of Morning Musume should know who she is. She was very cute and bubbly. She was very a popular idol before leaving _Hello!Project_ because of her numerous scandals. Personally, I did like her before. Now, my tastes are a little different. Even now, she is still a favorite among Morning Musume fans.

_Scarlet-_ The real artist of this song is the voice actress of Tomoyo_, Iwao Junko,_ I do know. But, it would have been funny if I used the real artist… it would be like she sounded better than herself. Maybe I am silly for thinking like that, but please bear with me.

_Treasure Box Café_- Treasure Box is the name of the blog of a good friend of mine, Trudy. We both like CLAMP very much. She is an excellent artist and I can't even believe that her parents used to be against her being an artist. Her blog is in Korean, but she has an English one, Daffodytreasury . blogspot . com . I came up with the name because of her and we both are fond of cute cafes.

**Listening to:**

Scarlet and Cross My Heart _(Ayashi no Ceres) _- I was thinking of Tomoyo's personality when I listened to _Scarlet._ _Cross My Heart_ made me think of Touya's. I am not really a fan of the Ayashi no Ceres series, but I did like the songs.

Chijyou no Seiza _(Fuushigi Yuugi Eikoden)- _I was listening to this while writing the first scene. The scene in the kitchen. It also came up during the scene with Sakura and Touya when she had discovered him looking for apartments.

Change _(Hanasakeru Seishounen)- _The second scene talked a lot about change. Sakura is slowly beginning to see and understand those changes. All of them are growing up and learning to accept the changes or wanting the changes.

**Mood**: Tired. Anxious.

**Working on: **Nightingale and the Phantom of Red Moon, Summer School, Birthday gift for my friend and Artemis Fowl: Alice Academy.

**Spoiler: **

**:Chapter 2:**

_~Twelve Years Old: Tears and Rainbows_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes: **I have been trying to finish my other fic, _'Nightingale and the Phantom of Red Moon'_ first. I write very slowly. It takes me months to finish one chapter. And, because I have to many stories I end up trying to finish one and unintentionally ignoring the fics I should be paying attention to.

The idea of Tears and Rainbows came when I was listening to Olivia Lufkin's Tears and Rainbows. I wrote the poem while listening to it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it. I think people who have already read my stories how slow paced my writing is. _Nightingale_ was slow and this will probably be no different.

I have noticed that lately my author's notes are so long. I bet it drives everybody crazy! Haha! I guess I can't help it sometimes. I want to make this clear. I adore Yukito! I absolutely do. He is so cute and nice!

Thank you to all those who took time to read this story. I can honestly say that this might even turn into one of my favorite works, though it is probably my least popular. Maybe because it is so long? I have to admit that my writing is getting longer and longer. Last chapter was 34 pages long. What was I thinking? Then again, each chapter depends on the age so I have to report about anything that happens at that particular age. Maybe it is my fault. Then again, Nightingale is getting longer and longer by the chapter.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Disclaimer:** The World you are about to Enter is Completely fictional. The characters belong to the Manga group, CLAMP. The Song _'Tears and Rainbows'_ belong to Olivia Lukin and her company. Any events or characters resembling real people is purely coincidental… or I am just psychic. :D

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**:Chapter II:**

**Twelve Years Old: Tears and Rainbows**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_Haven't you heard?- Don't you know?_

_The tears come before the rainbow._

_The colors come after the coolness of the tears._

_Sing out, show me your tears; I'll show you my heart._

**-By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

"Mistress, if I may? I have a letter for you."

Tomoyo looked up from her book to see one of her new maids timidly smiling at her, carrying a small tray with a sealed envelope and a letter opener. She realized that the poor girl was probably new. Tomoyo gave her a bright smile and gave her thanks. The other girl, feeling pleased smiled back and rushed back to the other maids.

Barely noticing her leave, she turned her attention to the letter. She carefully opened it with a letter opener and read the name first. A smile flirted with the corner of her mouth when she read where it was from.

_Eriol Hiiragizawa._

She had sent him a letter only a week before, she had not expected a reply this quickly. She continued to read the contents.

_Dear Miss Daidouji,_

_I received the videos and we greatly enjoyed them. Nakuru especially enjoyed the one where Touya was wearing a butler uniform. I am curious how you procured such a footage. Nakuru even wants to return just to see him and have him wait on her. I am not sure if Sakura's brother will see this as a compliment. Spinel says to tell Cerberus that his score is still higher than his in the game of Punky Pong, so try again. But, I am sure that he will not very happy to hear that…_

Tomoyo smiled. He was right. Touya would be very annoyed if Nakuru went to where he worked. She was always an energetic and unpredictable person. There was no telling what she would do. He would wait on her, though. He understood that it is part of his job, but he was going to dislike every second of it.

Spinel Sun, Eriol's other guardian and Kero were rivals. Friendly rivals. She had heard that Kero had scored a 45,000. It was going to be difficult to tell Kero-chan this without getting him worked up. Maybe he should pass by the cake shop before going to Sakura's house. Maybe it will ease his anger a bit.

_Kaho says that your first concert was beautiful and she loved the piece you chose. I think you were an angel, as usual. Unfortunately, I can't seem to say the same for your pianist. He made a small mistake on the high F. _

_For the gift, we will be sending something as well. But, unfortunately, they are not ready so you will have to wait a little while._

Tomoyo giggled and shook her head. Leave it to Eriol to notice one note. It can't really be helped. The magician had a lifetime's worth of experience that Akira didn't have. Akira, after all had only been playing for six years. But, she knew Eriol enough to know that he was only teasing. One time, she did ask how long he had been playing the piano. His reply was since it was invented…

Knowing Eriol, it had to be true.

She was a little curious of what they could be up to. It was sweet of them to send her something, but they really didn't need to. She enjoyed their letters and simply wanted to keep them updated about their lives in Tomoeda.

_You might also be pleased to know that I am greatly pleased with the lyrics you sent me. I hope it was not too much of a bother to ask you to write the lyrics to this little tune. My version wais not a lovely as yours. Have you ever considered a career as a lyricist?_

_I changed the title, though. Instead of 'Rain of Tears', I thought 'Tears and Rainbows' would be much better. It has a more optimistic ring to it, don't you think?_

_I am sending you a copy of what we have finished so far. It looks like it wouldn't be long now before it will be done. I have greatly enjoyed working with you. I do hope this won't be our last project together. _

She glanced at the music sheet and smiled. The song looked good so far. She did like the new title. Very much in fact. She can almost imagine how much beautiful it will be when it is finished. In his last letter, Eriol had sent her a tape of a song he was composing. It was a beautiful song and he had tried to put words on it but it didn't sound right.

She picked up a pen and began writing her own lyrics. Her original plan was merely to suggest a few lines. Once she started, she couldn't stop. Two weeks later, she recorded her version of the song and sent it to Eriol for his approval. It really made her happy that he loved it. It was her first time composing so she wasn't sure if she had done justice to such a lovely song.

But something was bothering her though, it wasn't like Eriol at all to reply this early just to say this to her.

_But, Miss Tomoyo, we both know that I wouldn't write to you so quickly just to tell you this._

Sometimes, it really frightened Tomoyo how he could read her mind so well.

_I feel that I must warn you that a great change will be coming for you… and Sakura. I do not know what and I don't know when it will happen. I am sorry. I am worried about Kinomoto-san but I want you to be careful too, my friend. We are all worried about you and Sakura. _

_But, do not tell her yet. I will tell her myself. I simply want you to watch out. _

_Sincerely Yours, _

_Eriol _

Tomoyo and Eriol had been corresponding for a year. She tells him news about Sakura and everyone in Tomoeda and he tells her of their life in England. She enjoys these letters. She could tell that Eriol loved England very much by the fond words he puts in paper. She loved hearing about Nukuru trying out to be a model and Spinel's little sugar rush that got him stuck on the roof multiple times.

This letter worried her. She knew that this was not simple teasing or one of his jokes.

Folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope. Curiouser and curiouser. What could he mean by a _great change?_ It must be very significant if Eriol thought it was important for her to know. He had always been very vague. When he wanted to help Sakura realize her feelings for Syaoran, he only left subtle hints.

What would Sakura think of this?

She had seen her yesterday but she had not said anything and it took the post a few days at least to deliver her letter. Later, she was going to see Sakura… maybe she will understand what Eriol was trying to tell her.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

When Touya returned from his job one Friday afternoon, he found Tomoyo studying in their living room, sitting lady-like on the floor. She had three stacks of books beside her and she seemed to be having a lot of trouble with whatever she was writing in her notebook. If he knew his sister, she was probably in the kitchen, looking for the cake their father made yesterday. She was probably making some tea as well.

Not wanting to bother her, he silently tried to walk past her to go up the stairs. She noticed before he could. With a bright smile, she greeted him, "Welcome back."

He was standing the foot of the stairs, one hand on the banister and one holding his bag. "Where's Sakura?"

"In the kitchen," she replied, confirming his thoughts. Remembering her homework, she bit her lip and brought her attention back to it.

Seeing her trouble, Touya shrugged his bag off his shoulder and unto the nearest chair. "You look like you need help," he muttered, hovering above her and reading over her shoulder.

"It is a five-page book report," she sighed.

Smirking, he thought silently that his sister probably chose the thinnest book asked for. "What book did you choose?"

"Pride and Prejudice," she said, patting on the thick book beside her.

His eyes widened. He didn't even know that they let kids read that as book reports. Not her age anyway. He knew College girls who wouldn't even touch that book. "Interesting choice."

Seeing his surprised look, she giggled because she knew what he was thinking. Everyone thought it was so odd that Tomoyo always chose the thickest book in the bunch. "Do you find me odd as well?"

"Odd, but I guess it is something expected too."

Suddenly, there was a sound of a crash and a scream coming from the kitchen. They turned towards the kitchen, knowing what had occurred. Tomoyo knew that if there was food involved, Kero had something to do with it. "Sorry! I'll clean this up!" They heard Sakura shout.

Touya sighed, wondering if he should go help Sakura in the kitchen. However, if her stuffed animal was involved, he knew that she wouldn't want him seeing it yet. He decided to stay where he was until his sister came out. "Do you need help?"

Her eyes lowered uncertainly, then smiled. She didn't see why she couldn't at least talk about it. "I find some people in this book rather foolish," she admitted. "To refuse to believe in loving a person because of the person having very little money. Other people have better reasons not to be together, yet they are..." All over the world people were falling in love with people they shouldn't be. "What does money have to do with what your heart tells you?"

Touya still had a bit of trouble believing that a little girl was already thinking of such things. There was something strange in how she said those words. It couldn't be that- it couldn't be that she is still in love with- _Sakura._

There was another cry from the kitchen and a crash. A few seconds later, Sakura came running out of the kitchen with a very guilty expression. "Brother, you're home!" she said, laughing nervously. Trying to act natural, Sakura walked towards her bag and swung it over her shoulders. "Welcome home. Ummm… I need to get something from- the school. I'll be right back!" Turning to her bestfriend, she looked even guiltier. "I'm so sorry, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo shook her head. "It is alright. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it is alright. Tomoyo-chan still needs to finish her homework, right?" She reminded her, putting on her shoes. "I'll be back soon!" And then she was gone.

Again, the two of them were left alone. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to make tea for them. For some reason, the silence between them were making him feel uneasy.

In the kitchen, as he waiting for the water to come to a boil, he couldn't help but think about what she had just said.

"_Other people have better reasons not to be together, yet they are..."_

One name came to his mind: _Yukito._

But, lately something was different. Whenever they were together, he always had a faraway look in his eyes that Touya couldn't understand. Yuki used to tell him everything, but now there was something that was preventing him from confiding in him. He loved Yuki and cared for him a lot. And, he should know that- what is so important that he had to keep it from him? Touya wasn't weak. He could protect him from whatever it is.

"Touya-nii, you seem distracted now."

Touya woke up from his daze to find Tomoyo pouring the warm water from the kettle into two cups. She decided to see what was wrong after she heard the steam from the kettle for a long time. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Touya string at the kettle blankly. She immediately turned the off the stove and began working making the tea.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was," he admitted. He looked around, curiously and wondered what had happened here earlier with his sister. Everything looked fine, so what could she have done to get out so quickly. "Thanks, Tomoyo. I think we still have some chiffon cake. Do you want a slice?"

"Yes. Thank you, Touya-nii."

He opened the pantry to get out the chiffon cake. After making two slices, he placed them in two small plates and puts them on the tray with their tea. "I'll carry them to the living room. It is the least I can do." Knowing better than to argue with Touya, Tomoyo went ahead with Touya following her closely behind.

It looked like she was finished with her essay. Her books and notes were absent from the table and the troubled look seems to be gone now, much to his relief. "Looks like you're done with that essay."

"Yes, and it wasn't too hard. I just find them a bit silly."

"I can't argue with that," he spoke before taking a bite of cake.

Tomoyo took a sip of tea and smiled at the delicate flavor. Looking up, she saw Touya with the same distracted face he had when she first entered the kitchen. "I heard from Sakura-chan. You are moving soon," she whispered. "Did you finally find a wonderful apartment."

Maybe it was his imagination, but she sounded very sad when she said that. Quietly, he nodded before he spoke. "It's not _wonderful _but it is a good enough place for one guy."

"One guy-?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Understanding what she meant, he nodded. Touya always knew that she at least sensed something between him and Yukito. "Yes. One." Yukito already turned him down gently about living together. He didn't think it was a good idea yet.

"I see. It is going to be sad not seeing you here anymore."

"Hey, I'll still be coming back once in a while to keep an eye on Sakura until that brat comes back." Touya didn't look very pleased when he said it, though. He always knew that Sakura and the brat love each other, but that didn't mean he liked it one bit. Yukito had always teased him for his sister-complex. He didn't see anything wrong with feeling a little protective of his only little sister. "And he better come back, because if he breaks my sister's heart I am not going show any mercy. Maybe even skewer him with that sword of his."

Tomoyo giggled. "Touya-nii, you truly are a very kind person."

He refused to answer that, but strangely that was same thing Yuki always told him. Taking a sip of his tea, his eyes widened. The tea is really good. "This is pretty good. It seems different from the usual blend."

"Thank you. I had brought tea leaves from grandfather. He grew it in his garden. I gave it to Sakura this morning, I thought you might like to try."

Touya had heard of their grandfather from the father a few times, but they had never met. It was going to change soon. Before his move, he was going to go and visit his grandfather. He had told no one, even Yuki about it. "Give him my thanks."

Smiling serenely, Tomoyo nodded. "It will be my pleasure."

"Where is your new apartment? Maybe Sakura-chan and I can visit you from time to time."

"It's an apartment building a few blocks from my University. It's pretty old and rickety, but it's cheap."

"How soon are you moving?"

"In two weeks."

"That soon?" Forcing a smile, she continued. "I am very happy for you. I know how hard you've worked for this. You're studying to be a teacher, I understand."

He replied with only a nod for both questions. For some reason, she sounded very sad to hear about his leaving rather than happy. But, he dismissed it as simply his imagination. He was like an older brother to her. Suddenly, it hit him… she was sitting on his mother's favorite chair. It was the chair she always loved to have tea with her guests. With her hair in curls, Tomoyo looked so much like his deceased mother-that he couldn't help but stare. Even the way she sipped her tea was similar.

"Is there something wrong, Touya-nii?"

That snapped him out of his daze. "Huh? Yeah… why?"

"You were staring… do I have something on my face?" she asked, touching her face.

"No, your face is-" _Perfect._ But he knew he couldn't say that. "-is fine."

She nodded, still showing that forced smile. When she came with Sakura that afternoon so they could do their homework together, she saw the boxes at the foot of the stairs. Sakura then told her that her brother had finally found an apartment and was moving out soon. Tomoyo couldn't believe it… but she supposed that this day was bound to come someday. She just didn't know that it would be this soon.

"Can I help? With your moving?"

"No. It isn't necessary. I don't really own a lot of stuff."

Tomoyo nodded quietly. Things really were beginning to change. She never told Sakura this, but she could feel herself changing as well. How easy it would be if she could remain Tomoyo Daidouji the video camera-totting friend of Sakura Kinomoto.

"Before you go… maybe this is a bit too much..."

"Anything, what is it?"

She smiled softly and asked, "Would you play the piano for me please?"

He had to admit that she had taken him by surprise with that request. But, he smiled back and nodded. She had never asked him to play the piano before. Maybe because she was shy before. Now they had known each other for a while she felt a little more comfortable to ask.

He led her to the room where the family kept the piano. It was a beautiful piano and well-kept. She a had seen a few photos of Nadeshiko Kinomoto by this piano. She played it very lovingly with the three year old Sakura beside her, watching her adoringly.

Touya started with testing the keys by playing a simple, un-beat tune with a very serious face. Some people get scared by the look Touya gave when he was deep in concentration. They say that he looked angry… well he always looked angry but he looked even angrier like this. Tomoyo couldn't really agree. She thought he looked the most handsome when he was like this.

His eyes sometimes closed when the melody was soft, but when they were open his gaze was passionate. She wondered if people knew how passionate he was about music. She and Sakura watched him play Cinderella in their play and he looked more bored than passionate.

Once he was done, he began to play. Her eyes widened when her ears recognized the song. It was a song that she sang at last year's cultural festival. However, he somehow made it better- and more him. The beat was a little faster and stronger. She hummed along with the song. He turned to her and grinned when she recognized her own song.

When he finished, Tomoyo gave an enthusiastic applause. "That was wonderful," she told him. "I didn't even know you were listening at the Cultural Festival. Weren't you and Yukito working?"

He shrugged. "Now, it is your turn."

"My turn?"

"Play something for me."

Her eyes gave a look of surprise, but vigorously shook her head. "But I am not at all good with playing the piano," she admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

"Then sing something…" He said, shrugging.

She bit her lip nervously. There was the song that she was working on with Eriol. But, she wasn't sure if _'Tears and Rainbows'_ was considered ready to be performed. Suddenly, she was feeling a little shy about singing it. If he had been anyone else, she wouldn't mind singing it…

Thoughts of him not liking it made her nervous because the words of the song were all hers.

Touya didn't want to force her, so he began to close the piano. "If you don't want to, it's really alright."

"No, wait! There… there is something," she told him. "Could you wait her one minute, please?" With that, she left the room. The music sheets were in her bag. As shy as she still was about it, she really wanted Touya to hear it. Maybe- he'll like it-or maybe he would have something to add.

She returned and practically shoved the music sheets into his hands.

It surprised Touya, but nodded. The moment he began reading the notes, he knew that it was going to be a very beautiful song. He liked the title, _'Tears and Rainbows_.' He turned to her and noticed her blushing. That face was cute, he had to admit. He coughed and began concentrating playing the song.

The opening was simple enough… it was only when Tomoyo started singing that the magic began. He smiled as he tried not to drown in her singing as he continued to play. It was might not be very strange because he wasn't very familiar with popular music, but he had never heard of this song. Not on television or radio… when he does even bother to listen to them.

He was only sorry when the song was about to come to an end.

Touya was smiling by the end of the song and nodded his thanks. "This is a really nice choice. Is the original a new artist?"

At first Tomoyo didn't understand what he meant, but when she did she laughed. He really was a very sweet guy. "Sort of but… Touya-nii, I wrote it… with Eriol-kun."

Imagine his surprise to hear that. He returned to reading the notes and could only shake his head. The melody was not the melody he'd expect a brat like that to make. Then again, the lyrics weren't the words of a normal twelve year old either.

"Amazing. This song is amazing," he muttered.

She tilts her head, a pleased smile on her face. "Do you really think so?"

He nods, his eyes on the sheet. From the looks of it, they were going to do fine on their own and wouldn't really need his help. It looked like they just needed to finish up the last few bars of the song and tweak a bit of the first part of the song and they will be just fine.

Just one thing.

He never really liked that Eriol Hiiragizawa character.

He later returns the notes to her and gives a grin. "Thanks for sharing this with me. I am really glad you did. Can you sing it to me again… once you finish it?"

"I would be happy to," she replied happily.

Did she sound cuter than usual? Touya shook his head and told himself that it was merely his imagination.

This was really a surprise even to Tomoyo. She never even planned to share this song with Sakura yet until it was finished, yet she sang it for her brother. This wasn't like her. Besides, she should know by now that there was nothing she could do with these feelings…

Moments later, they both heard the door open and then slam. Sakura was home. It sounded like she was hurrying again to the kitchen.

"I'm home!"

It was only then that they both noticed that they were staring at each other.

"I should… probably go to Sakura." Before giving him another second to come up with a reply, she left the room and joined Sakura in the kitchen where the other girl proceeded to hug her in thanks.

"Thank you so much Tomoyo-chan for keeping onii-chan busy," she whispered, then looked angrily at the floating plushie. "Kero-chan broke his favorite mug… so we had to buy another one just like it."

Tomoyo smiled. "It was my pleasure. I am very glad to help." It was true. She greatly enjoyed her time together with Touya… he was sweet and definitely a gentleman.

Which is why she should be careful…

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

Yukito called her the next day. It confused Tomoyo. He said that there was something she needed to tell her. Also, he said that he needed help stocking his refrigerator again, but Touya was busy at work.

"Maybe we can surprise everyone with a cake later," Yukito suggested. He sounded very good-natured and jovial that day.

There was something wrong. Tomoyo could sense it even over the phone, but she agreed. "That sounds wonderful. There is a new recipe for strawberry cheesecake that I found. I wanted to try it. I just know that Sakura will love it."

Yukito chuckled and was quick to agree. "That does sound good. Why don't I meet you at the train station in… three hours? Is that alright?"

"That will be perfect," Tomoyo replied, already mentally recalling the recipe for the cake and trying to remember where she last left the book. "Maybe we can make some cupcakes too? If… you don't mind, Yukito-san?"

"Eh? Cupcakes? That sounds fine, but why do you need to make cupcakes too?"

"I was thinking of leaving some for the Children's Hospital." Tomoyo visited once a month. Normally, she made the cupcakes herself… but she thought that it might be faster if she had help. "Maybe… some books too."

Yukito knew she couldn't see it, but he was smiling fondly over the phone. "We can stop by the bookstore before we return home then. We can make them in my kitchen. I don't mind if we make a mess."

"Let's at least try to avoid doing that, though." Tomoyo remembered then that Yukito lived alone. Suddenly, she became quiet thinking that he must be lonely all the time. She often felt that way as well… despite living in a home where she is often surrounded by servants. Her mother was always away for work… and the servants and bodyguards respected her too much to be her friend.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes?"

"May I go to the Children's Hospital with you?"

This time it was Tomoyo's turn to smile. "Yes, I will like that," she whispered, sounding very pleased. "The children will be excited to see a new face come to visit them."

"You are a very kind person, Tomoyo-chan."

"You are as well, Tsukishiro-san. I will see you in three hours?"

"Yes. I will see you, then."

Tomoyo hung up the phone and began to get ready. She found the book of recipes in the kitchen shelf and began listing the what they will need before slipping it into her bag. After that, she began thinking about what to wear. In the end, she decided on the pretty, pale blue sundress that she finished sewing two nights ago. It was one of her creations.

Neither of them really thought of this as a date. Neither was attracted to the other beyond friendship and trust. Also, Tomoyo was aware that the reason for why Yukito asked her for help was not because of romance. She knew very well who his feelings belonged to.

Three hours later, Tomoyo's driver dropped her off at the train station. She wasn't at all surprised to see Yukito there already. He was always on time. She saw him wave at her in greeting as she walked towards him. She smiled and waved back, knowing that he had probably arrived at least thirty minutes before she did.

"Where shall we go first?"

Yukito smiled and pointed to his right. "How about the groceries first? Then maybe we can get something to eat before we go to my home. Ah… we also need to pick up some books, right?"

She nodded, walking towards the direction. Yukito followed her pace, so they could walk side by side. For a while, he was unusually quiet. He was looking ahead with a gentle smile on his face. When he saw her looking at him, he turned towards her with a warm smile.

What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I was thinking how different you seem to day," she answered honestly. It was strange for her to admit though. It has been bothering her since he had called that morning. He looked surprise at her admission, but then she continued, "I believe this is a new shirt."

There was relief in Yukito's eyes as he shook his head. "No. It is not new. I bought this two months ago… but I believe this is my first time wearing it with you."

Tomoyo knew at that moment that something was definitely wrong, but he wasn't yet ready to tell her. Something else seemed odd to her too. The train station was quite far from their homes. It confused her why he chose the area to shop when there were places that were nearer.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a Cooking Shop called, _Treasure._ At first glance, it looked like a very cute shop with stars and teddy bears on the sign. Tomoyo excitedly entered. "I never knew this shop was here."

Yukito followed her inside. He smiled with satisfaction at her glee. "I thought you would like it. I just found out about it the other day."

Tomoyo ran towards the cookie cutters. They came in many shapes and sizes. She was now quite torn. The lovely cookie cutters made her want to make cookies instead of cupcakes.

"What seems to be the problem?" Yukito asked her as he saw the worried frown when she examined the cookie cutter.

"These are simply too cute. I know I promised chocolate cupcakes- but," she turned to him raising to show the bow-shaped and car-shaped cookie cutters. "Won't these simply make cute apple-cinnamon oatmeal cookies?"

"That does sound delicious. I am sure the kids won't mind when they taste how heavenly it tastes," he assured her. "Lets get them?"

Tomoyo's frown disappeared and was replaced with a smile. "I hope so." She began choosing various styles and dropping them in to her basket.

Half an hour later, they were finished with their purchases and was sitting in a café and drinking milk tea with cake. Yukito of course bought a whole chocolate cake and Tomoyo bought a slice of apple pie. Yukito looked very happy and excited to get started. He admitted that he didn't often visit the hospital… he often didn't need to. Tomoyo talked to him about some of the kids there.

"Miharu is nine and has been there for a three months now. He broke his leg in an accident," she gave a sad yet very fond smile. "You could say that he is my favorite. His dream is to become a basketball player. The accident should have changed that but- he is still a very happy boy despite the accident."

Also, he reminded her a bit of Sakura.

"And… there is also, Erina." Tomoyo looked away. Yukito watched her expression as she described each child to her. However, this was the only child that he could see was breaking her heart to think about. He then later knew why. "Erina is six years old. She was diagnosed with cancer last year."

Yukito returned the sad look. "I am sorry if I brought up something painful to you."

She shook her head, her dark curls dancing around her. "Please don't. She is a very strong girl. When her parents come, she tries so hard to be happy. She and Miharu are very close. Miharu designated himself as her older brother…" Tomoyo stopped there, but her thoughts drifted back to the brave little girl. Doctors told her that she only had about two years left to live. "I am working on a dress to give to her for her birthday."

"When is that?"

"Next month."

"She will be turning seven?"

Tomoyo nodded. "It is a miracle because ever since her parents found out about her cancer, they never thought she would reach seven years old. Her cancer is moving pretty fast."

They finished their tea and stopped by the bookstore. Tomoyo bought two bags of story books and coloring books for the kids. Yukito and Tomoyo also discovered that they like the same author. He had a new book released, so they both bought a copy.

"I never knew that you were the type that likes mysteries, Tomoyo-chan." Yukito told her as he placed their purchases on the island in the kitchen. "You strike me as a person who preferred the classics."

"And, I do, Tsukishiro-san." She carefully dropped one of the bag of books on the sofa before joining him in the kitchen. Yukito had been adamant about being the one to bring the bags. He only allowed Tomoyo to bring the lightest bag despite her insistence of carrying one more. She didn't think it was fair for him to bring everything when most of the purchases belonged to her. "I also love mysteries as well. There is something about them that really captures me."

They talked about the author's books as the unloaded the utensils and recipes. "Where do we start, Tomoyo-chan?" he asked as Tomoyo flipped through cookbook, looking for the recipe.

The rest of the afternoon went perfectly lovely. Tomoyo was pleasant company and Yukito was a charming host. It was late when they realized that it was late. Yukito left the last batch on the cooling rack and offered to take Tomoyo home.

She nodded, appreciating the offer. They had been so engrossed in baking the cookies, they forgot the cake. "I still wanted to make the cake for Sakura-chan."

Yukito didn't forget, but he didn't want to tire her. They had been baking all afternoon. Even if she didn't admit it, she must be tired. "You can come back tomorrow. We are still going to the hospital together, aren't we?"

That convinced her, she took off her apron and began gathering her things. "Oh, Tsukishiro-san, I have been meaning to ask. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Yukito almost tripped over a coffee table when he heard that. He gave a nervous chuckle and asked, "What made you think that?"

"I don't believe that you asked me to accompany you for no reason," she told him. "You could have done all the groceries without my help. And the cake… I believe it was simply a reason to get me alone. What is wrong?"

Not for the first time, he smiled at how perceptive the little girl was. "I will tell you tomorrow after we visit the hospital. Is that alright?"

She was confused, but she nodded… choosing to understand and wait another day. As he promised, he later walked her home. He entertained her with stories of his high school, when she told him how nervous she was about moving up another grade next year. It didn't miss her notice, how tired he looked.

He was sweating profusely and sometimes he gasped in the middle of speaking like he couldn't breathe. But, he told her that it was just a cold that was probably coming on. Tomoyo wasn't fooled, but it was clear he didn't want her to ask more questions.

They stopped outside her gate and he waited outside until she was safely inside her home. However, she couldn't help but feel worried. Yukito looked very sick and tired. She was afraid that he would faint from exhaustion before returning home. She requested one of her guards, Yukiko… to watch him until he returned home. She wanted him to at least reach his home safely. It was her fault if anything happened to him as he took her home.

An hour later, Yukiko entered her room and reported that she could confirm that Yukito Tsukishiro had arrived to his home safely. After that, she apologized for her delay in reporting because her mother had called her and gave her another assignment to do in the morning.

Tomoyo assured her that she didn't mind and that she was merely grateful that her friend had arrived home safely.

As they discussed, Tomoyo arrived at the Tsukishiro residence quite early. Having finished making twelve batches of cookies yesterday, they were now hard at work with the cake.

Tomoyo could see that he was tired. She wondered if he got enough sleep last night. It didn't look like it at all.

"Touya is moving out soon," he mentioned casually.

Tomoyo froze for a second, but recovered quickly and continued to whip the cream. "I know. He told me that he had finally found a place but… he also said that he was living there alone." Her eyes turned to him questioningly. "Why?"

He understood what she meant. Why was she going with him, so they could be together? Why does he still wish to be alone?

"I am going to help him move in. Touya, surprisingly, has a lot of stuff," he continued without bothering to answer her question.

Tomoyo was quiet, but decided to wait until later to repeat the question. They finished the cake not long after. The Daidouji princess looked at it with deep pleasure. It looked truly like an accomplishment. It was decorated lovingly with pink and white icing and plump strawberries. It was something out of a cookbook.

It was time to leave for the hospital now. They placed the cookies in pretty tin containers that they had bought with the other things in _Treasure._ They carefully placed the cake in a cake box because they were going directly to the Kinomoto residence after the hospital.

Excitement was in the air in the Children's Hospital once Tomoyo's presence was made known. The children were gathered all around them, jumping up and down and screaming that they missed her.

"You're early this month!" One boy said as he followed them down the hall. They were first going to visit the doctor to consult about the patients. They had to be careful not to give any sweets to those who can't.

"Really? How do you know that, Makoto-kun?"

The boy named Makoto raised his head proudly and smugly, then said. "Usually, you come on the third week of the month. It is still the second week!"

Tomoyo giggled, because he was right, of course. She was supposed to come the next week. "That is a very smart observation."

Suddenly, a little boy of about… eight or nine years old bounded towards them in crutches, his left leg was in a cast. The little boy exuded optimism and happiness. It was clear that this was probably the one named, Miharu. "Daidouji-san!"

At the call, Tomoyo turned and her face brightened. "Miharu, slow down. You're going to trip."

But he didn't slow down and instead expertly maneuvered through the other children around her. The way he handled those crutches was like a pro. "You're early!"

"So, I was told," she retorted, giving one of her mysterious secretive smiles. "How is Erina-chan?"

Miharu smile faded a bit. "She's feeling better this morning. She is especially excited to see you, Daidouji-san."

Yukito could see why Tomoyo was so fond of the boy. He too could see the slight resemblance between him and their Sakura. The boy had brown hair and emerald green eyes. His eyes were also quite expressive. His joy and pain could be seen like a television by just watching him. It was clear that he was a brave boy- a brave boy that was in pain at the thought of losing his friend.

"I just need to see Doctor Honda and I will see her shortly." She turned to Yukito, who was trying to calm down two kids who were trying to climb up his leg. "Tsukishiro-san, you can go ahead… please keep Erina-chan company while I talk with the Head Doctor." She also took one of the bag of books from him while two friendly kids took the rest. "I'll take care of distributing this.

Yukito nodded and followed Miharu down another hall where the private rooms are kept. This area seemed to be a lot quieter than the rest of the hospital. The only thing he could hear was the buzzing and beeping of machines.

Miharu politely knocked three times before entering one of the rooms. When they entered, there was a small girl on the bed. She was very pale and on her head was a turban… he could only conclude was from chemo therapy. Despite her frail state, she threw a bright smile their way when they entered. "Miharu-kun! Eh? Are you the the friend with Miss Tomoyo that everyone is talking about?"

Yukito smiled back and nodded. "My name is Yukito Tsukishiro, Erina-chan. Tomoyo talked about you. She is very fond of you, you know."

The young girl blushed prettily. All the marks of illness on her face couldn't hide how pretty the girl is. "Thank you so much, Tsukishiro-san. You are very kind."

"Please call me Yuki… and I am only telling the truth."

"Erina-chan?" Miharu moved closer to her. He moved pretty quickly for someone in crutches. "Are you sure you are fine? The doctor said that you shouldn't push yourself too much." As if he had done it many times before, he placed his crutches against the bed and jumped up to sit.

Yukito noticed the casual familiarity and could only guess that they were close.

Erina simply shook her head and smiled. "I'm alright. I even feel so much better than usual. Maybe it is because Miss Tomoyo is magic. She always makes me feel happy when she comes to visit. Did she make cupcakes?"

Miharu shook his head, but he didn't look very disappointed by the lack of cupcakes. "No. Cookies… but they are apple-cinnamon and they look really tasty. I could even smell how good they taste!"

The children continue their conversation. Erina was watching intently as Miharu told the story with exaggerated hand gestures and sounds effects. It was a treat to watch the two children so engrossed in the exaggerated version of Tomoyo's entrance. Miharu made it sound like Tomoyo was a princess… or some kind of wonder girl. Maybe that wasn't too far off, but it was definitely interesting to listen to.

Though, he probably went a bit overboard when he said that he could practically see flowers blooming in the background where she walked. Hough, he kept it interesting… keeping the girl smiling. Strangely, he could sense a bit of Tomoyo in this girl. The bravery and lady-like mannerisms that was surprising from someone her age.

Yukito watched the girl closer. It was clear that she was sick and has been sick for a long time. Yukito turned his face towards the window. He understood how she felt perfectly. Nobody understood her predicament more than he.

"Yu…Yuki-san?" he suddenly heard her. When he faced her, he saw the worry and wonder in her face. Her face was surprisingly easy to read. Her expressions were like reading an open book. "Are you alright? Are you tired? Maybe-I apologize if we are too noisy."

"Oh! Not at all!" Much to his embarrassment, he found himself turning pink. "I didn't mean to drift off like that. Please allow me to apologize."

They were interrupted by a nurse that entered the room. She had been looking for Miharu. It was time for his x-ray. It took a while to get him to move, obviously not wanting to leave. He wanted to there when Tomoyo arrived. In frustration, the nurse picked him up and swung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I don't want to!"

"You can play with your little girlfriend after the x-ray."

This time, it was Miharu turning red… and now not even glancing at Erina's direction.

That left Yukito and Erina in the room. "You won't look at me… why?" she asked him. For a while, she noticed that Yukito was giving her such strange looks when he was looking her way. The look of a person that understood her, but it was strange to think so because he looked very healthy. A little tired, but that was nothing unusual, was it?

Yukito smiled. She was as perceptive as Tomoyo as well.

"Are you dying as well?"

"What made you think that?"

"I am not sure," she admitted. All she knew was that he was looking at her with fondness, sadness and understanding in one. "Maybe it takes one to know one?"

He sighed and took a seat on a chair beside her bed. Maybe he was crazy. He didn't know why… he felt at ease with talking to this child. Maybe it was because he knew that she of all people would understand. They talked… for they didn't know how long and he told her everything he was feeling.

She listened to him with a soft smile and nodded once in a while.

"Are you going to tell them?" she whispered, when he finally finished.

"I am," he answered, the guilt all across his handsome face. "I need to tell… Touya first. I was going to tell Tomoyo, but I don't feel right burdening her with this secret. It also looks like she has her own problems. I need to tell someone because… I don't think I have a lot of time left." He knew that Tomoyo wouldn't mind, but he really didn't want to add to her problems. "How-?" He hesitated to continue.

Erina smiled encouragingly for him to continue.

"Does it become easier in time? Does it become easier to smile?" It felt a bit strange to ask this question to such a young child, but it really was something he wanted to know.

"It does," she whispered. "As long as you remember the lucky life you've lived. My family, friends, doctors and nurses… they all made me happy. Miharu-kun makes everyday happy and makes me excited to wake up another day." She turns to him and smiles. "Is there someone like that for you?"

Yukito grinned and nodded. "There is."

With wisdom beyond her years, she nodded and smiled back. "Then, I know it won't be so hard."

Moments later, there was another knock on the door. Tomoyo's head peeped through the door. Seeing her, Erina quickly sat up and squealed. "Miss Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo entered, her arms holding a few books and a tin of cookies. "Erina-chan, you look radiant today."

The other girl blushed at the compliment, but it was clear that she was pleased with the compliment. To Erina, she knew that Tomoyo was just being nice. She was wearing an ugly turban to hide her baldness and she was even skinnier than last time she visited. It still made her smile to at least have one person think she is pretty. "Not as radiant as you, Miss Tomoyo. Are those books for me?"

There was a nod before she pulled out three books from her arms. "Three are. These two are for Miharu-kun. He asked me to buy him these books specifically." Yukito read the spine. They were books about racecar driving and the latest _Naruto_ manga.

Excitedly, she accepted the books. One of them was a coloring book, the other two were books about fairytales. It didn't take long for her to become engrossed in a book and forget her guests. Tomoyo left the tin on her bed side table and mouthed to Yukito if he was ready to go.

Yukito nodded. They still needed to stop by the Kinomoto residence. He was really glad he came to this hospital. Very glad. He got to meet a very strong and extraordinary little girl. He led a short life, that is true… but it was a life happier than most people who had lived a full lifetime. For that, he had no regrets.

It was when they were finally outside the hospital and walking to the Kinomoto home that Tomoyo spoke again. "Tsukishiro-san? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Yukito knew he should be shocked, but he hid it well and simply gave a nod. Yes, he had found what he was looking for and more.

Despite his lack of words, Tomoyo looked pleased and didn't say anything in the rest of their journey towards their friends' house. Merely enjoying and felling comfort in each other's company.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived to their destination. When they arrived, they found Touya outside… looking like he was waiting. It looked like he just came from work since he was still dressed in a waiter outfit.

"Touya?"

"Ah. Yuki," he nodded his greeting. Upon seeing Tomoyo, he gave another nod. "Tomoyo-chan. I didn't know you were coming today. Here to see Sakura?" He had noticed that she was holding a cake box very carefully.

"Tsukishiro-san and I made a cake. We thought it would be fun to eat it with everyone," she answered, her smile bright and hopeful. It was odd that Touya was simply waiting outside. It made her wonder if they were there in a bad time. "Is it a bad time? We can come again…"

Touya shook his head. "Sakura. I smelled flowers inside when I got here. The Monster said that she spilled perfume. It looks bad so she doesn't want me to see it. Then, asked me to wait here. Let's go in. I can't let you two just stand here."

Tomoyo easily guessed that it was probably a Sakura Card. By the sound of it, it was the Flower Card. Now, she probably had to keep Yukito and Touya distracted in the mean time.

"Wait!" she stopped them. Both men did stop and turned to her, wondering why they should stop. "Silly me," she giggled. "I forgot to buy the tea. Cake is always better with some tea."

Touya smiled and nodded. "That's a good idea. You and Yuki-"

"I was hoping that you would help me, Touya-san," she admitted apologetically. "Tsukishiro-san has been carrying everything the whole day. I am afraid that I might have tired him out.

Yukito smiled at her quick thinking and nodded towards Touya. "I will take care of what is bothering Sakura."

They could see Touya hesitate but finally gave up and went with Tomoyo to the convenience store. It was clear that she knew what was going on, and was trying to be the distraction. "What's going on in there, Daidouji?"

She feigned innocence and smiled. "I do not know what you are talking about. Do you like green tea or lemon tea?"

"Green. You didn't answer my question."

"Maybe milk tea would be more suitable, though."

He, apparently, wasn't going to get answers from her. Maybe he didn't want to know. "Where did you and Yuki go? You mentioned he carried things earlier."

"The Children's Hospital," she answered as they neared the convenience store. "I visit at least once a month. It I one of mine and my mother's favorite charities. Tsukishiro-san wanted to come with me today and help. It looked like he and Erina-chan got along very well."

"Erina?"

"She's a little girl from the hospital. She is truly sweet." Her eyes showed both pride for the girl and great sadness. "And… I have never seen someone so young and yet so brave before. I wish there was more I could do for her."

"I have a feeling, Daidouji. That what you are doing for this little girl is more than enough," Touya told her, not bothering to hide his admiration. He then pushed the door of the convenience store open for Tomoyo, before following her inside. She took her time selecting the tea because she didn't know how much time Sakura will need to get everything in order.

They began debating over different teas. Oolong, green, lemon, English, Milk and so one and so forth. When they finally decided on milk tea, they argued over which brand to buy. They were so engrossed in their debate, they never noticed the people around them commenting on the man having such a young-looking bride.

"What is wrong with this?" she asked him, inspecting the brand. It was from a pretty well-known company.

"I tried it before. The taste… it tasted fake." He began shifting through other brands. "This one, is my and my dad's favorite."

Tomoyo wrinkled her nose, she was familiar with the brand. "I am not sure… the taste is a little strong."

After much argument, they finally made a decision to buy both and went to the counter to pay. This time, they argued over who was paying. Tomoyo insisted that she should because it was her suggestion in the first place. Touya argued that she was his guest and it wouldn't be right to have a girl pay.

The poor cashier could only watch nervously. In the end, Touya paid telling her it was the least he could do for bringing cake. She surrendered but smiled to herself. Touya really is quite stubborn to do what he thought was right. Surprisingly, it was enjoyable to shop like this with Touya. Yukito is a pleasant companion… they were so much alike it shouldn't be a surprise. Touya was so different from her that it gave her a different… feeling.

When they returned to the house, it was surprisingly quiet and dark from the looks of the windows. Touya frowned, a little worried. "Stay behind me," he ordered. If there was a burglar or anything inside, he didn't want Tomoyo hurt.

Surprisingly, she didn't argue. Just smiled and stayed behind him. They crept inside… Touya reached out for the light and then-

"SURPRISE!"

Sakura, Yukito, Fujitaka- and many of their friends were present. The whole house was decorated with Sakura blossoms and Peach blossoms, which Sakura suspected came from the flower. It was summer, so they were not in season. There was a banquet on the dining room table and a sign hanging from the living room ceiling that said: "HAPPY FAREWELL PARTY, TOUYA!"

Touya blinked multiple times, a bit lost. It took him a few seconds to process the situation and turned to Tomoyo with a grin. "Did you know something about this?"

She shook her head. "No. But I suspected something like this." Sakura called her about a party, but she forgot that it was going to be that day. When they arrived, the preparations probably weren't ready yet. She was glad that she could help even if it is pretty small. "Are you happy?"

Touya ruffled her hair and answered, "How can I not be?"

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

Touya and Yukito were alone, unpacking at his new apartment. They had been at it for a while. Bring up his furniture and boxes and boxes of his things. There were also buckets of paint. Neither of them were exactly creative when it came to art, but they figured that painting everything white was a simple enough task.

He wouldn't say it but he enjoyed the afternoon. Yukito was a great person to be around with. Intelligent and honest… with a bit of teasing. For example, he teased Touya about the white will make his apartment look like a hospital.

There was something different about today though. Yes, he still teased but his eyes look more tired and his smile sometimes wavered. Often times he would cough or suddenly grow tired while they were bringing the couch up.

"Yuki, are you alright?" Touya asked when he closed the door behind him when they finally got the couch up.

Yukito was sitting tiredly on the floor, leaning against the sofa. As always, Yukito just smiled and nodded, then lied to him that he was fine.

"You aren't fine," Touya said, squatting in front of his friend. His eyes demanding that he looked at him. "I didn't want to say anything. I thought about waiting until you want to tell me. But this is serious, isn't it? What is going on? Stop hiding this, Yuki."

Yuki's smile faded and shook his head, amazed by his friend's perception. "I have been wanting to tell you this… Touya but… I just didn't know how. All the scenarios I keep seeing are of ending up hurting you. I never want to hurt you."

Touya frowned, angry. "What are you talking about? Hurt me- Yuki! Talk to me!"

Yuki gave a sad smile. "I am sick."

Touya stared at his friend frowning for a few moments, wondering if he was joking "Stop joking, Yuki- that is over. I thought I…"

His bestfriend nodded. "I also thought that I could continue to live with everyone," he admitted quietly. "Sakura, Yue, Miss Tomoyo… you. I am very, very happy to have met all of you."

Touya knelt down and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him against the couch. He didn't want to hear this. He had to be lying. "Stop it. Don't talk like that. Don't talk like you are about to die!"

So, Yukito kept quiet trying to respect his friend's wish at the same time not lie about his conditions. He thought that he could live for another year, but the disease was spreading rapidly.

"Yuki," Touya whispered, taking his friend's hand in his. "I thought it was over. I thought it was okay when-"

"Touya, I am not dead yet, please don't like I am. This is why I didn't tell you," he admitted. "I wanted to live my remaining time happily. I don't want to live it as a sick man just waiting for his time to come." His hand weakly went to Touya's hair, ruffling it in a friendly way. "I want things to be just the way it is… it is when I am most happy."

"Does Sakura know?"

"Not yet." Yukito had been afraid to tell his mistress. "Yue will remain but Yukito Tsukishiro will disappear. Sakura needs Yue…"

"I need you."

"No, you don't_ need_ me. You never really needed anyone, Touya. We needed you." Yukito told him. He had known Touya Kinomoto for a long time and he never saw anyone who could stand so well on his own two feet as Touya did. "You're a fighter. Like a knight… or-"

"A samurai?"

Yukito's eyes widened but nodded. "Yes. How did you know?"

Touya's smile didn't reach his eyes. He leaned back and sat beside his friend. "A little bird told me."

They sat there in silence for a while, Yukito's head tucked against his shoulder. "We still have some time before this happens, right?" Touya muttered. He hated this. He hated being so powerless. He hated the fact- that the only thing left he could do is help keep him happy in his last days. "I will keep you happy, Yuki…"

"Just you being with me is enough to make me happy," Yukito told him. "Don't leave me alone."

"Yuki… stay with me. Share my life. I don't care how-"

Yukito didn't even turn his way, but squeezed his hand tighter. "Please don't make this harder than it has to be," he begged. "It is better this way. I don't want to live the remaining days of my life dependant on you."

Touya nodded, understanding. He stood up quickly and pulled Yukito to his feet and began dragging him out the door.

"Touya, where are we going?"

"I can finish the rest of this later," he smiled and continued. "For now, lets do something fun. Have you ever been to the amusement park?"

"No… not yet." Yukito answered him, finally understanding his intention.

"Great. Let's go."

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Tsubame:** I know there is YukitoxTouya. That is why I made this T. I am really trying to keep this canon-like as possible. I am not sure if I am successful though. I am not a big fan of shounenai, but that does not mean I find it repulsive. I can write and read it without vomiting. It is just not something I crave or look for. Erina and Miharu are original characters. I hope you like them.

I love Yukito, which is why I am really trying to make his story as beautiful as I possibly can. This is a very slow paced story, I know. The romance is so subtle, I think it is barely there. I guess it is my writing style. The hints are here, though. Just not in your face I think. But I bet I am getting into everybody's nerves with my slow update and pace. Sorry… ^^;;;

**Listening to:** Celtic Women and Yuki Kajiura songs.

**Mood**: Happy!

**Spoiler: **

**:Chapter 2:**

_~Fifteen Years Old: Dream Catcher_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes:**

_**Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!**_

While I was writing the first part of this chapter, I was watching My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I fell in love with the _'Fox Rain'_ song. I can't get it out of my head. Did you know that the real saying about the Fox rain is actually that '_The Fox is getting married to a tiger'_ in Korea? Since this story is in Japan, I will use the Japanese saying. It is the same… except they say that it is _'the Kitsune is getting married.' _

I estimate that this will probably just be a five chapter story. I tend to not make my stories very long lately because I really want to finish them. I know if I make it too long I probably end half way. I also need a beta… I did find a beta but she never emailed back. No, shinigamiotaku, this isn't you. Haha… I didn't see your email in the review. ^^;;; I wonder if you are reading this…

The YukitoxTouya on the last chapter I thought of as Bromance actually. Not really shounenai, but I guess you could say I left it open for people to interpret how they wish.

I have started writing original poems since writing this story. I haven't done this for some time. It feels really good. The poem below is an original poem I made called, _'Dreamers and Lovers.' _I hope you like it. I wrote it for this chapter. I think I should say that even though this chapter was written while listening to _Dream Catcher,_ I do not know what the real Japanese translation is.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Disclaimer:** The World you are about to Enter is Completely fictional. The characters belong to the Manga group, CLAMP. The Song _'Dream Catcher'_ belongs to Olivia Lukin and her company. The song _'Fox Rain' _belongs to the _My Girlfriend is a Gumiho_ OST. I do not own _U2 _or _Tears and Rainbows._ Any events or characters resembling real people is purely coincidental… or I am just psychic. :D

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**:Chapter III:**

**Fifteen Years Old: Dream Catcher**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_Let me in your dreams, _

_And let us be how lovers are._

_Look up to the stars; _

_close your eyes, and I won't be far. _

_Let me be there to love you,_

_And share the pain in your heart._

_I want to be your dream for forever,_

_Because I am not alive when we are apart. _

**-By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_Three years._

It has been almost three years since Yukito closed his eyes one last time. Tomoyo had been fourteen that time and that day had been a few days after their dear Sakura's birthday. His existence disappeared and is body now belonged solely to Yue. There simply wasn't enough magic to save both souls. Whatever was eating his existence was successful in taking one.

Those who knew him mourned his loss. His classmates. His teachers. His friends. Most especially… his _bestfriend._ No one felt the loss more than he did. He shed no tears… at least none in public, but his eyes were so very, very dead. Yue wore Yukito's face and shared his voice. Though, he dared not fool himself to believing that he was still Yukito Tsukishiro.

His soul was gone. It was really gone.

Tomoyo had remained sad and solemn. One tragedy after another. Erina had died a month before Yukito. She fought a good fight. She lived much longer than the doctors said she would. They had buried her in the dress that she made for her on her seventh birthday. The dress was pale pink and purple, decorated with lace and ribbons. It had a fairy princess motif… inspiring dreams and magic. Her parents said that it was her treasure.

A month after Yukito was gone, Touya just left. He left Tomoeda and hadn't returned since. Sakura and her father visited him at his apartment from time to time, but he never returned to Tomoeda to visit. Much to Sakura's sadness, but she loved him too much to force him to do anything before he was ready.

Neither could Tomoyo.

After sharing _'Tears and Rainbows,'_ many other songs followed. It became a habit for her those next few months to visit him, before he left to live alone, and ask for his opinion on lyrics and pieces. Sometimes, she would even bring over poems for his inspection in case they were suitable for a pretty song. Despite never vocally admitting it, they enjoyed these short moments… as simple and brief as they were. It all stopped after Yukito died… and Tomoyo just didn't have the heart to interfere with his mourning.

She understood him… very well.

Like most samurais, he had lost a purpose… a person to protect. Sakura was now Syaoran's to protect. Now, without a purpose, he became a rogue. Moving forward a bit aimlessly. Amazingly, he is still doing very well in studies, school activities and work.

So for three years, Tomoyo never saw him again and she never said a word of how sad she really was to say goodbye at the train station. She was there for Sakura… but also for herself. She remembered ever detail.

He gave them a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

He teased Sakura half-heartedly and kissed her on the forehead goodbye.

He then turned to Tomoyo and ruffled her hair. "Take care of yourself, kid." He told her. At that time, she just nodded and smiled. There was nothing else to do but let him go. It was clear that he was hurting too much.

_ Three years._

Time moved fast. Too fast. Before she knew it, she and Sakura were high school students themselves. It was their turn to wear the pale blue blazer and walk the halls where a few years ago Yukito and Touya walked on. Despite the small changes, little truly changed. Takeshi still lied and Chiharu still choked him. Naoko was still one of the most inventive writers in class. Rika was still the group's genteel mother.

One very significant difference was that now Syaoran was with them. Two days before Touya left, Syaoran moved back to Tomoeda to be with Sakura permanently. The Li family wasn't very pleased with having their leader so far away, and made him promise to return with his bride after they finished with their education.

Since then, one wasn't very far from the other.

Tomoyo changed very little too. She was still the star of the choir and the class's best student. Her after school activities sometimes still included video-taping Sakura and having her wear clothes she made. Little changed… but change was change whether it was little or big.

One afternoon, Tomoyo returned early from Choir practice. Sakura was with Syaoran, so she thought it would be a good time to work on the new dress that she was working on for her birthday. It was coming soon with only months away and she wanted something different. Before going to her room, she decided to sort through the mail to see if there was anything for her.

Eriol and her had been working on a new song. After their last two songs became very successful, they developed a strange yet comfortable partnership.

Their latest project was actually a lot of fun and she couldn't help but feel excited to start.

There had been a letter from Eriol, but it wasn't about the song- it was something else. The letter came with a package and inside it was a beautiful jewelry box.

Tomoyo caressed the smooth exterior of an intricately designed oak box. The Sun and Moon were carved on it with a careful and artistic hand. She smiled, it seemed Eriol might have taken in a new hobby. There was no mistaking his signature design anywhere. She opened it and gasped at the lovely gift.

It was necklace.

The necklace was a clear, tear drop-shaped stone on a silver chain. It was really a very simple trinket, but knowing Eriol it probably wasn't as simple as it appeared. Curious, she opened her letter and began to read.

_My Dear Tomoyo Daidouji,_

_ Please allow me to apologize for the long wait. Exactly three years, I promised you a present, didn't I? I am sure you have forgotten all about it, but I have not. I am not as powerful as I once was, so it has taken some time to present to you my thank you. Also, I believe you will find this quite useful._

The present still confused her actually. Vaguely, she did remember such a promise but she never really expected anything in return for those videos and pictures. It was a pleasure for her to share cute details about Sakura-chan. For a few seconds, she inspected the lovely stone and watched in amazement when it slowly turned into a pale blue.

_I believe that you have heard of 'Mood Rings,' Miss Daidouji. _

She could almost hear the teasing of Eriol's voice when she read that. Of course she knew them, they were such fun to wear when they were kids. She knew that they couldn't really tell what mood she was in. The color changes with the rise and fall of temperature of your body.

_Well, these are a little special… because this little trinket is psychic. It CAN tell you what mood you are in. Surely, you really must excuse such a delay. Making psychic stones is not an easy feat and I am not as powerful as I once was._

Tomoyo smiled, touched that her friend was really sweet and would really do this for her. With much care, she puts the necklace on and admired her reflection on a nearby glass window. The stone was still on a lovely blue color- making smile.

Suddenly, she was in the mood to wear blue.

_I will give you the tape of what I am currently working on next week. In the mean time- have fun, my friend._

_Eriol _

Shaking her head slowly, she smiled with a part of her wondering what he meant by _having fun._ It wasn't unusual for her to receive presents from Eriol. In fact, he gave her a present on her every birthday and another for Christmas. She found his taste very beautiful.

But this was the first time he ever gave her something he made with magic.

As she stared at her reflection, it still amazed her what a difference three years could make. Her hair was still quite long and as flawless as her complexion, but she was a lot taller and her body was beginning to take shape.

Eriol Hiiragizawa was certainly quite mysterious.

Without her realizing it, the stone suddenly changed into another color… pink- for _uncertainty._

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

"What is that for?"

Touya stared at his sister as she pushes a ticket to him. He had been studying for a report that he was going to do in the morning. If it was a ticket for a new movie, he really couldn't. He needed to study to get his teacher's license. It would be a waste to accept the ticket knowing he couldn't go.

Sakura smiled brightly. "This is for Tomoyo-chan's play! I told you that, didn't I?"

He sighed. She had told him. And every chance she got, but he going to Tomoeda was not an option. "Sakura, you know I can't go. I am too busy to go to Tomoeda."

She knew that. Though, for her, it was more like he wasn't ready yet to return to Tomoeda when it still held a lot of painful memories. "Didn't I tell you? It isn't in Tomoeda! It is here. She was invited by a theatre group here to play her role. Come on, onii-chan! You got to take a break sometime… and it is Tomoyo-chan's big acting debut."

Touya was still having doubts about going. He still remembered the pretty woman-child with the beautiful voice. It was difficult to forget someone you have a strange attraction to. However, after Yuki died… he just couldn't stay. Over the years, he hadn't really thought of her much… but now he couldn't help but wonder what she might look like now.

"Tomoyo-chan looks very beautiful here!"

At that, Touya turned to his sister again. Her smile was bright and excited. Not a very unusual look for those who knew his sister. It still made him a proud and worried brother whenever he saw his sister. She was still as pretty and vivacious as she was as a ten year old. Possibly even prettier and it did not make his protective instincts feel better. He sighed and took the ticket from her hands. "I didn't know she acts." He knew she made movies and sang, but she never showed any inclination that she was interested in acting.

Sakura nodded. "You're right- but Miharu insisted that no one would be able to do the role justice but Tomoyo-chan. She and Eriol did write the song-"

"Miharu?" He frowned. It sounded like a boy's name.

"Yep, he insisted to have Tomoyo-chan be the star. He's also playing the young protagonist. He's really very cute too!" Miharu couldn't become a professional basketball player anymore after the accident, but he was never disappointed. He merely changed his dream. Sakura thought that he made a very good actor but- she noticed that during practices he would sometimes slip and call Tomoyo Erina. Her bestfriend never told her why… but Sakura knew that she knew.

"Please, onii-chan! Please promise you will go!"

Still frowning, he scanned the ticket.

The play was apparently called, _Fox Rain._ Apparently, it also came with a backstage pass too. He hesitated to make the promise. Then again, how many years has it been since he last saw her? Three years?

He would be lying if said he wasn't curious to see how she was. Not that he had a lot to worry about. He knew that Tomoyo had always been very good with taking care of herself. It was doubtful that she was the type to change that.

"Fine. I'll go. Happy, Monster?"

"Yes!" she answered ecstatically, but frowned when he used that name he always gave her. Wrinkling her nose, she continued. "And, Sakura is not a monster, you mean nii-chan."

Touya chuckled. Some things never really changed.

Sakura cheered and gave her brother a hug. "You won't regret it! I promise." She saw the rehearsals and the play really had a good story.

The clock dinged nine times, telling her that it was already nine o'clock and she was going to be late in meeting Syaoran. "Whoooeeeee!~" she screamed. "I am late!" She jumped off the sofa and began putting on her coat and gathering her things. She had left her purse on the dining table.

There were two photos on the dining table. It seemed he continued the tradition.

One was of their mother… and the other was of Yukito.

Her hand went to her heart and gave a sad smile. She never really said this to him before, but she really was happy to have him as her brother. He was definitely a good person and that made her feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world.

When she finally left, he had to buy groceries for his dinner. Maybe even grab something to eat before coming back. He didn't really have problems with cooking, but he didn't really feel like cooking today. Seeing his sister really cheered him up but also… broke his heart a bit. He did miss Tomoeda and often thought of returning, but he wasn't sure if he was ready yet.

Of course, for Sakura's benefit, he had always shrugged and told her that he was fine. Sakura knew that he wasn't but respected her brother that he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. There was really little else she could do when he was so stubborn.

It was a pretty busy Sunday morning. School girls were walking by and giggling while they looked through shop windows. Young boys were running past him to the arcade. Men with briefcases were drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. A few elderly women were pushing baby strollers and talking on their cell phone.

He passed by a music store and decided to stop for a while. Touya was really just in there to browse a bit and maybe buy the new U2 album- but something caught his attention.

"_**Tears and Rainbows"**_

It was like someone hit him with a baseball bat. Despite not knowing who the artist was, he brought it with him to the counter and purchased it. The cashier smiled at him and began chatting. She couldn't help it. The customer was pretty cute. "Are you a fan of Lilian?"

"Not really," he answered without hesitation.

"Eh? Then why are you buying the single?"

"I just want to hear_ that_ song."

The cashier became quiet after that, finding the good-looking customer quite strange. Usually, she had customers buying CDs because they thought the artist or artists were cute. She did feel curious though… what was special about that song. The other CD he chose was nothing like the Lilian CD and he could clearly picture him listening to their music. He didn't look like one of those types who liked Idol songs.

Once she was finished putting it into plastic and giving him his change, he nodded his thanks and turned to leave. He found another surprise when he was about to step outside. Without really knowing why, he cautiously hid inside the store.

Outside was a girl that looked very much like Tomoyo and he didn't believe that he was wrong. He could recognize those dark eyes and hair anywhere. His question was… what she was doing here-?

"Miss Tomoyo!"

He looked up and the girl looked up, her face broke into a bright smile. It was indeed Tomoyo Daidouji. She looked a little older, but he knew that this face could only belong to Tomoyo Daidouji. Since she was young, he always knew that she was going to grow up beautiful, but it wasn't just that…

Seeing her now, it was like seeing a ghost. She looked so much like the late Nadeshiko Kinomoto, his mother. The hair. The eyes. The playful smile.

"Good morning, Miharu-kun," she greeted as she waited for him to draw closer.

"Wow! You look great, Miss Tomoyo!" Miharu laughed as his eyes assessed her from head to toe. It was difficult to not appreciate how the pastel blue sun dress complimented her fair skin so perfectly. "All the guys are going to be so jealous when they see you."

She stifled a giggle and shook his head. "Miharu-kun, you are being a charmer again. Come on, we don't have much time." Her expression became very serious, her hand reaching for his and squeezed it. "We can't make any mistakes. It would be disastrous and… I don't want the consequence to hurt you."

Miharu smiled. "They won't. Everything will be perfect. You'll see- wait. Is that a new necklace?"

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "It is a gift from a friend. He says that it is a 'Mood Necklace.' It is beautiful, isn't it?"

"I understand now why you are wearing blue, then. I believe it means _calm and lovable." _Her companion teased. "Are you feeling hungry?"

"I am."

"Lets go, then!"

Touya really did feel bad about eavesdropping- and following them didn't really make him feel any better either. Maybe it was his old habits. He wanted to protect her. Old habits were hard to break. And, there was no telling what the other boy was thinking.

They stepped into a small not crowded diner. Touya waited a few seconds before following them inside and chose the table beside them. He was grateful for the very tall back rests. They wouldn't be able to see them, but he would be able to hear them. The waitress provided him with a newspaper while he waited for his order.

_"We can't… we just can't…"_ He heard Tomoyo whisper.

_"Why? Why not? Is it because I am too young?"_ Miharu whispered back. _"It doesn't have to be now… all I am asking for is to wait for me. Please, say you'll wait for me-"_

_ "No, I just can't. Not now… not ever."_

There was silence for a while. Touya was about to leave. It seemed the conversation was getting too personal. He didn't want to eavesdrop on that.

Miharu broke the silence_. "I love you. Please. Let me prove it."_

_"No you don't,"_ she answered in her most gentlest and silkiest voice. A voice that made it impossible for either male to move. _"You love the idea of being in love with me. But, you never loved me." _

_ "But I do-and I know you feel something for me too."_

Touya didn't stick around to find out what happened next. As quietly as he could, he left the diner and returned to his earlier plan of having lunch and buying something for dinner. The conversation he had just heard was none of is business. There was nothing he could do if she reciprocated his feelings.

Besides, shouldn't he be happy for her?

In the end, he lost his appetite but did end up buying some food to restock his kitchen. Alone in his apartment, to his frustration… he couldn't help but feel a bit restless. Though, he couldn't really say why but he controlled himself well. With a little breathing, he calmed down and began pulling out his books to study.

He needed it anyway. The next year he was going to be starting his apprenticeship, so he needed to get ready for that. Unfortunately, his brain wasn't absorbing what he was reading at all. He tried a few more minutes, but finally gave up and decided that maybe he should just get some sleep.

It was two hours later that there was the sound of knocking on the door. Touya wasn't able to get some sleep, but he had tried. He was troubled, but he really didn't understand why. Grouchy, he yawned as he walked to open the door, thinking it was his sister. She was the only one that he could think of that would visit him without calling first. So, he didn't bother changing his rumpled clothes or brush his hair.

"Oh… is this a bad time?"

Touya was frozen on the spot. She was the last person he ever expected to see here. "To-Tomoyo-chan? What are you doing here?"

She smiled sweetly, then showed him the cake box in her hands. "Before that… may I come in, Touya-nii?"

He nodded, but not before noticing the necklace she wore change into another color. It was… gray _(1)_ ? Touya wasn't at all very good at deciphering those things. It made him extremely curious what that meant… because she certainly seemed very calm.

She left her bag on the table of her living room and offered to make some tea.

"No. I'll do it. You're the guest," he reminded her as he made his way to the kitchen. He still had some green tea left.

But, she didn't want to wait. "I came uninvited. It isn't fair to let you serve me."

They argued for a little bit more and finally came to an agreement. Touya made the tea and Tomoyo sliced the cake she brought. It was chocolate and from one of his favorite bakeshops. It was a companionable silence and it brought back memories of brief times they were also alone like this. Except for the fact… she was a much younger girl, then… with a young girl's body.

It was different now.

Her body was slowly developing into a woman. In a few more years, she would really bloom into an even more striking beauty. A scary thought actually considering how beautiful she already was. Not liking where his thoughts were going, he turned back to what he was doing.

As he waited for the water to boil, he watched her move about the kitchen with ease only pausing for seconds to ask where the dishes and utensils were. It was strange to see her so comfortable in the kitchen with him. Now that he thought about it, this was really the first time he had a girl in his kitchen. Guests usually stayed in the living room. He insisted on it. Despite not seeing each other for three years, it didn't feel wrong to have her there at all.

Finding the tea set on the top cupboard, she tried in vain to reach for it but found it futile. Despite her efforts, she was simply a few inches too short to reach it. Wanting only to help her, Touya came up behind her and reached for the tea set himself and brought it down for her.

The contact was brief… but it made her very, very aware of Touya. His big frame, his strength and even his smell. It was a strange combination of his cologne and ink. On another person, it might not seem like a nice scent at all… but on Touya it made her just want to lean her head a bit. But, she knew that she shouldn't… so his nearness made her nervous.

Touya blinked twice, wondering if he was imagining it…

Her necklace changed into another color. This time, it was black_ (3). _

_ What did black mean?_

"Are you alright, Daidouji?"

She smiled warmly, but the necklace remained black. It was strange because he was certain that she gave the same smile to the boy Miharu yet the necklace remained blue _(2)._ "Of course I am, what reason would I have not to be?"

There was no reply, but she could see his uncertainty.

Wanting to redirect his attention, she coughed daintily. If he continued to look at her that way, he may notice how nervous she made her feel just being this close to her. "The kettle is whistling. I believe it is time to have our tea."

Touya's eyes widened and returned to the stove. He had forgotten all about the hot water. It wasn't like him at all.

As he prepared the tea, Tomoyo almost breathed a sigh of relief and continued her preparations and brought the tray to the living room. A minute later, Touya joined her carrying the tray with the tea.

"How are you?" He finally asked when they were finally relaxed on the sofas.

Tomoyo smiled demurely, her necklace still very black. She had no idea whatever gave her the idea it was a good idea to visit Touya. Maybe he was in a relationship already. Maybe she was bothering him while he had been busy with something. "I've been fine. Just a little busy lately. Sakura told me she mentioned to you why."

"Ah. Yes, the play."

"Are you going to… come and watch?"

He smiled and nodded. "I am. And my dear sis is going to make sure that I do too."

She giggled. "You are? Then I should say that I am even more nervous now."

Grinning behind his cup of tea, he assured her. "You will be great at it, just like you always are. Even my sister, the actress, said so. You must really be good." She stopped herself from blushing at the compliment, but she was really very pleased. The girl never knew that he thought so highly of her. It was really a treat.

The necklace this time turned pale orange _(5)._

Touya did know something about Mood trinkets. They change color depending on the temperature. Yet the necklace changed color too quickly and the room temperature hasn't really changed at all. What was that thing?

"What is that?" He asked casually, nodding to the necklace around her neck. "Is it new?"

"This? It's a gift from…" She suddenly paused and looked very surprise when she saw the necklace had turned into a pale orange. That morning, it had been blue, right? "Eriol. We still correspond…"

"Are you still writing songs together?"

"Yes, in fact." Putting the tea on the table and slowly reaching out for her slice of cake. "We composed the song I am going to sing at the play… and we are even working on another song. He has yet to send me the melody… but we have high hopes for it."

"I can't wait to hear it."

"You'll be the first to hear it," she promised, happy that he was interested in it. Something caught her eye on the sofa beside her. It was a small plastic bag with the symbol of the music store she waited at earlier. That was really a strange coincidence. "May I look what is inside?"

Not seeing any harm, he shrugged. "Go ahead."

She wasn't surprised to see the latest U2 album. She knew that he'd been a fan for some time. But she was surprised to see the Lilian CD… with her song. Seeing the CD made her blush.

"I wanted to listen to the finished song," Touya answered her silent question. He knew that she wanted to know what he was doing with that CD. _Tears and Rainbows _had not been completely done yet before he left. "Why did you guys give it to someone else to sing? You could have sang it yourself."

"I love singing, but I do not really aspire to become a recording artist. And, I know Lilian. She's not only beautiful but also very kind," she informed him. "She did a beautiful job with the song. Probably better than I ever would."

"I doubt that." That just came out without thinking.

She smiled after hearing that. Although she knew that he listened to her music, it was nice to hear him admit that he did again. Especially after three years. "I thank you, Touya-nii. It has been a while since you complimented me on my singing."

_ "Three years in fact,"_ he thought. "It's no big deal. It is true."

Her necklace changed color again and turned into a rich cocoa brown, as she turned her attention back to her tea. Now, she was quite at a loss what to say coming to visit him quite unprepared.

"What are you doing here, Tomoyo?"

His question almost made the hand holding her tea shake, but she was much too used to hiding her nervousness. Quite a pro actually. The only hint of nervousness visible was the pendant changing color again and into black _(3)._

Touya knew that it was certainly much too fast to be simply a change in room temperature. "Wait… before that- where did you get that necklace?"

"This?" She asked, twirling the pendant absent-mindedly. To her surprise, it was black. Rather odd. It had been blue when she was with Miharu. "It was a gift from Eriol-kun."

Without his powers, he couldn't really sense the magic as clearly anymore. But he certainly didn't need much to know that the necklace was special. Putting two and two together, it wasn't hard to deduce that what Tomoyo was wearing was literally a mood ring. She must have gotten to the same conclusion too because she then tucked it under her dress as casually as she could, not wanting to embarrass herself more than she already was.

To make her feel comfortable, he began asking about how she and her mom were. Her mom had called her a few times to check up on him, but those phone calls were very brief. Understandably, since Sonomi Daidouji was a very busy woman. Still, Touya was a little touched that is aunt cared.

It did the trick. Tomoyo enjoyed talking about her mother and told him of her successful merger with another company that their rivals said that she'd never get because she was a woman. Tomoyo proudly told Touya how she proved all those old men wrong. She told him a little of what she's been doing lately. Like the play, school, choir, Sakura and was very fond of talking about her classmates as well. Syaoran was playing soccer, Chiharu still choked Takeshi when he cheerfully lied and Naoko was working on a horror novel. Lastly, she mentioned in passing the new song she and Eriol was working on.

"That is interesting… what is it about?" he asked. They had been talking for a while, but it was like a blur and before they knew it two hours passed like a blur.

To be honest, she was still uncertain and maybe a bit shy about talking about the new song. However, she knew Touya very well and respected his advice a lot. "Being for the one you love in their dreams, because you cannot be by their side in reality.," she sighed, suddenly feeling the nervousness. "Unfortunately, I am having a bit of a hard time trying to write the right words."

"You will do fine," he assured her and he believed it. "Why don't you play it? Maybe I can help."

Laughing, she said, "Just like old times?"

He nodded, returning her mirth. "Just like old times."

Minutes later, they were by the piano with a sheets of music in front of them. It was full of scribbles and doodles from two people. The blue ink from Eriol and the red from Tomoyo. Eriol is very fond of making silly lyrics or doodling sketches on the margins. Tomoyo has a very neat and precise handwriting.

As much as he was wary of the Clow reincarnation, he had to admit that he had a sense of humor… that didn't make him like him though.

_ Dreaming of ice cream, muffins and cake._

_ Who in world would want to be awake?_

_ In dreams, there are cookies, cupcakes and pies._

_ But boo!- they are gone when I open my eyes._

"Did that brat really ask you to sing this?" He asked, an amused smile on his lips as he played the bouncy melody on the piano. It was difficult to imagine the graceful and elegant Tomoyo Daidouji sing something as silly as this.

As if accepting his dare, she threw him a playful smile and stood beside him and told him to play it… but in faster beat. He was confused for a moment, but did as she instructed. She began singing the song in those silly lyrics and looked like she was enjoying it too. If he didn't understand what she was singing, he would think that it was a very graceful and elegant piece. In the middle of playing, he stopped and just burst out laughing. It was getting hard to play seriously with lyrics like those.

She continued to sing, pleased by his laughter.

_ I wanna have more dreams, of lovely sweet things._

_ Sweet, sweet things. Please no-no onion rings. _

_So, give me all those ice cream and candies;_

_ Or I'll hide all your undies!_

Singing that last part, Touya could swear that he wouldn't be able to breathe from laughing so much. It was so odd, he hadn't laughed like this for a long time… not since Yukito died. Now that he was, he finds that he missed it a lot.

"Are you sure that brat wrote it? Because I could swear Akizuki did." When he was finally done laughing, he turned to the girl and ruffled her hair just like he used to do. "Thanks for that," he muttered. "I really needed that."

_"I know,"_ she thought, but she couldn't tell him that.

"Now, how about singing it… the way it _should _be?" Already turning back to the piano, to begin playing.

She nodded and began singing the first verses of the unfinished song. The song was beautiful and Touya had expected nothing less from Tomoyo, but it was still clearly unfinished and there was still a few lines that they needed to change. The chorus needed a little work too, but he could tell that it was going to be a fantastic song when it was finished.

"Was it bad?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "Not bad _per se_, just needs a little more work. But, you're getting there."

She nodded as she tucked her music back into her bag.

"So, are you coming back, then? You know… to let me hear the rest?" He closed the piano top and observed her. Her hand froze briefly… but only for a few seconds.

"No, I probably won't be able to visit for a while," she admitted. "The reason I was able to come was because of dress rehearsal. It finished early… no one is at home, so I thought I would visit you for a while. It has been a long time since I last saw you, Touya-niisan and…"

_I miss you._ That was what she was going to say, but she couldn't.

"…I really wanted to see how you were doing," she continued. "I also wanted to thank you. I was really happy when Sakura told me that you were going to watch the play."

"Sakura told me that this Miharu guy really wanted you to get the part."

"At first he had just asked me to write the some songs, but then their lead had to quit. I took her place."

"At his recommendation?"

"Yes."

Slowly, he began to get up and stretch. Now that he thought of it, it had been a long time since he last played the piano. The poor thing had been gathering dust… and it needed a little tuning too. Unfortunately, he knew that he didn't have the money for that now. The piano reminded him of his mother. He can't really see her anymore, but he knew when she was around. Playing it again, made him… miss it.

"Is there something wrong, Touya?"

"No… maybe not really. I guess I just miss my mom a little," he admitted. It was an action that surprised even him. Touya didn't reveal anything about himself often. In fact, he tended to avoid such conversations. Revealing something about yourself, is exposing yourself to others.

Suddenly, the situation was made reverse. She was on the piano and he was watching her from the side. "I actually started playing a bit last summer." As her fingers carefully danced on the keys, her eyes were on the notes. Her piano playing wasn't that of an expert but good enough to play the basic notes of the song. "This is a bit of the song I wrote for the play. It is called Fox Rain, after the play."

The song had a very graceful melody, but despite what he thought she didn't sing, telling him that he was going to have to be at the play to hear it. He was actually looking forward to hearing it.

Before they knew it, it was after sundown and it was time for Tomoyo to go home, she had more dress rehearsals the next few days. "I should go. I think Yumiko- san is downstairs to pick me up."

"Let me at least walk you to your car," he offered. It was a bit dark and this really wasn't one of the best neighborhoods to be in at night. He knew because he'd bumped into one or two drunks or delinquent kids on his way home from one of his jobs.

"Thank you. I will like that." Almost disarming him with the gentle smile she gave him.

Slowly, he smiled back and gave a nod. It was strange. She changed… yet not changed at all. When he left Tomoeda, she was the twelve… maybe thirteen year old bestfriend of his sister. Back then, it was easier to try and ignore her prettiness. Just think of her as his kid sister's friend… maybe not easy, but he managed to do it anyway.

Opening the door for her, he then followed her outside to the cool night. It was really a very cold night, and despite Tomoyo's insistence that she was fine, he had wrapped his jacket around her shoulders to keep her warm. It was very big, warm…

…and it smelled of him.

That was probably the first thing Tomoyo noticed.

Nearing the limousine, she saw Yumiko and a few of her bodyguards waiting for her. Upon seeing their mistress, they gave a bow and opened the door for her. Knowing that the visit was ending, he turned to him. "You will come, won't you? To see the play?"

"I will."

Her face lit up and quietly thanked him. "I am glad. Goodbye, Touya-nii. I enjoyed this visit very much. Please come see us in Tomoeda soon? We all miss you."

He just nodded, not wanting to make any promises that- he was not yet sure he could keep.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_Opening Night._

Tomoyo had been a part of many productions before, so she was already used to the chaos that usually took place backstage. Actors reviewing their lines, actresses running to make up, backstage crew doing last minute checks on the props and security guards looking around, making sure everything was in order.

Everyone was frantic. Nervousness and stress was making their director stricter than usual. He was screaming and berating anyone who was in the vicinity. The assistant director was trying her best to calm the man but the only ting she was succeeding was taking his insults herself.

The noise was so loud, Miharu and Tomoyo needed not worry about being heard.

"You don't look nervous, Miss Tomoyo," Miharu whispered to his co-star. He was already dressed in his first costume for the night. A young boy of about ten years old. Except for his height, which may be a little bit above average of a Japanese boy, he looked the part. Later, he was going to look older and older as the character aged. "Are you looking for Miss Sakura?"

Tomoyo already knew where Sakura, Syaoran, her mother and Mr. Kinomoto were. They had visited her at her dressing room and told her that they would be at the second row from the front. But, she wasn't sure if she should admit who she was waiting for…

"Ye—yes," she lied. "I was wondering if they found their seats."

"Don't worry, then," he told her, giving her one of the mischievous smiles that won the hearts of a lot of women twice his age. "Keiko told me she saw them in their seats."

"Was there someone else with them? A man with coffee-brown hair and eyes?"

"She didn't mention."

Tomoyo forced a smile, but she could feel her heart sinking. Had he changed his mind about coming? That was possible, but she did not want to believe it. He had promised and he always kept his promises. He will be there. His honor would never allow him to break his word.

The Assistant Director interrupted their talk by telling them that the show was about to start. It was time to get into positions. But, Tomoyo forgot her fan inside her dressing room. The good ting was that she didn't come out until the second scene so se still had time to go to her dressing room.

She found a beautiful bouquet of violets. Most of her cast mates and crew sent her roses. Only a few selected few knew that she loved violets. Sakura and most of her friends from Tomoeda were with the audience. She could guess whom it was from, so very carefully she opened the card.

_ Break a leg, kid._

That was all it said. Only one person called her 'kid.'

That meant he was here.

Knowing this boosted her desire for a great performance even more.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

"Onii-chan, where have you been? They are about to start," Touya's sister whispered as he approached their seat.

He gave her a smile and shrug. "I had to make a stop first. But, I made it, didn't I?"

Sakura pouted. He had a point. But, she was curious where he had to go that was so important that he would risk being late. Her brother was the most punctual guy she'd ever known. So, for him to be late was a pretty big deal.

A few minutes later, the play began.

_ The story began with a young village boy, Sho from hundreds of years ago. He was small and skinny, but he had dreams to become a great samurai. He worked to support his three siblings. Unfortunately, a famine struck their village and many of the villagers were starving one after another. His younger sister was close to dying as well. He had heard stories about a nine-tailed fox in the mountains. The elders of the village told them that a kitsune's tears can bring rain to their village._

_ The men would not believe such a mythical creature exist. Sho felt he had no choice. He could not let his sister die. He did not want to just watch. Alone, he went to search for the kitsune. Many villagers laughed, believing that he was a fool to believe such a legend. _

_ But, the boy didn't listen and ventured up to the mountains. He was there for twenty-nine days without any sign of it. He was almost ready to give up but on the thirtieth day while he was getting a drink of water he found her._

_ At first, he didn't see it. What he saw at first looked like an ordinary fox, coming to the water to have a drink. Then he noticed that it had nine tails. Quickly, he hid behind the bushes with his net in his hands. Ready to capture it and bring it back to his village. _

_ As the kitsune neared the water, a thick mist gathered around it. For a few seconds, he saw nothing then something walked out from the mist- but it was not a fox anymore. It was a girl, with long hair and complexion as white as milk. _

_ He was awestruck when he saw her. The kitsune looked beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen._

But, Sho wasn't the only one awestruck. Touya was too. He was doing a good job looking indifferent on the outside. Sakura and her classmates openly admired how beautiful she was, but he… could not. He did not want his sister and her friends knowing how attracted he was to her. He had enough problems as it was without adding Tomoyo to the mix.

Tomoyo looked as beautiful as a princess from an ancient fairytale. Her costume was a white and gold, intricately adorned kimono and white lilies in her hair. She looked almost ethereal. Like she couldn't possibly be human.

_Sho had been so distracted by the kitsune's beauty, he did not notice the kitsune had taken notice of him. She smiled at him, instead of being afraid and walked closer. Still frozen in place, Sho couldn't take his eyes off her. When she was finally in front of him, the only thing e could say was, "You're so pretty."_

_ This made her smile wider, and her eyes softened when she heard his sincere compliment. "Thank you." _

_ The story continued with Sho telling the kitsune a story about his dying village. She was so touched by what Sho was doing for his young sister that she began crying and almost immediately, the rain began falling. _

_The villagers rejoiced. Their crops will grow again. Sho was happy too and thanked the kitsune. She gave a nod and a sad and lonely smile. He noticed that smile, and hated to see it- without thinking, he promised her that he'd return to visit her again. She was happy when she heard that. _

_He even gave her a name… Mitsuki because they met during a full moon._

_After that, Sho continued to see the kitsune two times a year and stayed for as long as he could. After the famine, he had began training to be a samurai under a man who had been very impressed with the young boy's bravery. She enjoyed is company immensely. With her beauty and grace, it was no wonder as the years passed Sho fell in love with her. _

_She never aged. She couldn't age... _

…_and she noticed the way he looked at her. He was not a boy anymore. He was a man and he was in love with her. But, he was human. Each year, he grew older, stronger and more handsome. She also knew that someday, he would become too old to visit her, too feeble and die. Sho was going to grow to become a good man. His love would be wasted on her. _

_So one day- when he reached sixteen, she asked him to stop visiting her. She didn't want to see him anymore. Sho wouldn't believe her. She loved him and he knew it. _

_"We can't… we just can't…"_

_"Why? Why not? Is it because I am too young?"_ Sho whispered, giving a joking smile. Despite her beauty, she was hundreds of years old. _"It doesn't have to be now… all I am asking for is to wait for me. Please, say you'll wait for me-"_

_ "No, I just can't. Not now… not ever."_

_"I love you. Please. Let me prove it," he begged, grabbing her hand putting it against his beating heart. _

_"No you don't,"_ she answered shakily, pulling her hand away like she's just been burned. _"You love the idea of being in love with me. But, you never loved me." _

_ "But I do-and I know you feel something for me too."_

Touya suddenly felt a strange feeling he'd heard this conversation before. It finally hit him. What he had heard at the diner wasn't a love confession but two actors practicing their lines. He felt himself smile at his ridiculous imagination.

Sakura turned to her brother in time to see his lips quirk to an amused smile. She couldn't understand what he found so amusing about the most touching and romantic part of the whole play. Then again, her brother had always been strange. She was happy to see it though… it was the first real smile she saw in a long time.

She was really glad he had decided to come.

_The tale continued with the boy going to see the kitsune again the following year, but she was not there anymore. He looked everywhere for her, but she had been determined not to be found. In the years that followed, Sho continued to go to the same place, hoping that she would return._

_ Until he was finally a man. Garbed in his Samurai armor, he still continued to visit the same spot he last saw her. Sho was going to leave to fight soon and he wanted to see her before he left because he wasn't sure if he could return alive. _

_ "Mitsuki! I know you are here! I want to see you!"_

_ There was no reply. She remained hidden in the woods, watching him with melancholic eyes. She wanted to see him too. She wanted to talk to him. He grew up to be quite magnificent, but she knew he would. _

_ He sat down on the rock that she had watched him sit on many times before. Sho began to talk about the battle he was going to fight in and told her that he wanted to see her because he wasn't sure if they will ever see each other again._

_ When she still didn't come out of hiding, he knew that she will probably never show herself for him again. Only when he was out of sight did the kitsune regret her actions. _

_ That night, it rained…despite there not being one rain cloud in the sky._

_ Sho never returned to that spot again. He had died in that battle. Mitsuki remained on that mountain for two hundred years, waiting for him. He never came. One day, she took human form and went down the mountain and was surprised by the changes that occurred the last two hundred years. Everything was so different. _

_ People didn't ride horses anymore, but rode moving boxes and the houses were very big enough to hold a village full of people. _

_ The food displayed on the window smelled heavenly, but the people said that she needed 'money.' _

_ Confused and very lost. Mitsuki sat outside a bakery, wondering what she should do next. Suddenly, someone sat down beside her and offered her money. _

_ "Here, you look hungry. This isn't much, but at least you can get something to eat before you go on your way."_

_ She was about to thank him for his kindness, but she stopped suddenly and stared in disbelief. He had Sho's face. A little older, but still the same face. He didn't have the smiling lips of the Sho she knew but, her heart still leaped. _

_ "Sho…" she whispered._

_ He looked surprise. "Yeah, Shoutaro, but- Do I know you?"_

_ She attempts to tell him that she was a kitsune, but she was afraid. As a human, she could be with him freely. All she had to do was become human. The only person who had the power to do that was a demon. In exchange to become human, she would give the demon her nine tails. The transformation was going to be slow and painful… and it would take forty days to complete. However, she must receive the blood and love of a human by the fortieth day- or else, she will die._

_ The first few days she tried to get his attention by talking to him about the things he used to like when he visited her those many years ago. She would talk to him about music and his work. Much to her surprise, he didn't seem to be interested in the same things anymore. He didn't play any instrument or work. He was spoiled by his parents. _

_ Around this time, she met Shoutaro's bestfriend, Ichi Kaze. He looked very different from Sho. His expression was much sterner, but often times she would notice his eyes becoming much gentler. Often times, Ichi would keep her company while waiting for Shoutaro. He was always late meet was not the first time Shoutaro would send his bestfriend to cover for him. _

_ At first it didn't seem to bother her that he enjoyed music and played two instruments. She didn't think it was odd that he had three different part-time jobs to pay his own way through college. He was very much interested in Japanese History, especially the myths and legends. _

_ Before she knew it, it seemed she was spending all of her time with Ichi. He made her smile, listened to her music and… made her feel human. He even complimented her on her name, Mitsuki. He told her that on the beautiful night of the full moon were when he wrote his best works._

_ It felt only natural to her to tell him what she really was and who Sho was to her. It wasn't strange to her how easily she could tell this human who she was, but felt fear about telling the one she allegedly loved that. Ichi listened intently, but would sometimes look worried, especially when she told him about her possible death on the fortieth day. _

_ It was still quite difficult for Mitsuki, because as the due date drew nearer, her transformation became more painful. On one of those nights, Ichi went to see he. He was worried when he saw her in a lot of pain. After that, he stayed with her during nights when the transformations were painful so she would not have to bear it alone. _

_Yet, Shoutaro didn't seem to have a lot of interest in her. He found her beautiful, yes… but they never seem to have anything in common. He always left to see other beautiful women. Every time he left to see another girl… it broke the kitsune's heart and it would rain. _

_ Ichi always seemed to be there to comfort her, holding an umbrella. He never really said anything when she cried. Just wrap his arms around her and pull her against him, letting her cry against his chest. _

_ The day before her fortieth day, she approached Shoutaro and told him who she was. Finally, showed him her true form, but instead of showing any sign of compassion or love- he was scared._

_ He ran, calling her a monster. _

_ Heartbroken, on the fortieth day, she returned to her mountain. If she was going to die, she wanted to die in the place where she was the happiest. _

_ It rained and it thundered. The sky was crying with the fox. _

_ She was in agony. It was the most painful part of her transformation. Sho had ran, so now- she was going to die. She screamed in pain as her last tail began to disappear. Her vision was becoming dark and her heart was raising much too fast._

_ Just when she thought it was going to be the end, she heard a familiar voice. He had ran all the way up the mountain in the heavy rain, when he had heard from Shoutaro that she was a monster and he ran away from her. Knowing that she might die, he fought to make it to her home and found her slowly fading… her light of life slowly dimming as her tail disappeared. _

_ Quickly, he made a cut on his palm and brought his blood to her lips- as he whispered "I love you."_

_ Thanks to Ichi, Mitsuki was saved. The last scene was of the two of them holding hands, having a picnic on her mountain a year after. It was raining… and she was crying a bit. On her finger was a wedding ring. Her hand then began writing on the soft loam, Ichi's complete name Shoichi Kaze. _

_ Fox Rain- the fox got married. _

When the play finished, the audience burst into applause. Sakura turned to her brother and was about to ask what he thought of it. He usually slept through these romance stories. She found that he was not only wide awake, but smiling. It was a small smile, but anyone who knew him knew that it was a good sign.

The curtain closed, most of the audience was making their way to the exits… Touya was just about to join them. But, Sakura would have none of that. She stubbornly told him to join them congratulate Tomoyo in person.

Touya wasn't really keen on the idea. They wouldn't really have much time to talk anyway. It wasn't like he would join the chorus of admirers telling her how magnificently she did. Neither was he likely offer congratulations in a roomful of people. Unfortunately, Sakura gave him a look that told him: _Mean onii-chan is breaking my heart_. In the end, he felt like he had no choice but to join them backstage.

Backstage, it was worse than he thought. Friends, fans, family and crew gathered backstage practically turning it into a sauna. Sweat was dripping down his face and back, but he said nothing as they entered Tomoyo's dressing room. The dressing room was already full of congratulatory roses. Most of them from Sonomi Daidouji.

Compared to those, he felt his small bouquet of violets looked cheap.

Sakura ran towards her bestfriend and gave her a big hug and squealed, "You did so great, Tomoyo-chan! I love the story, I love your costume, I love your song- I love everything!" When she finally pulled away, Sonomi followed and embraced her daughter, wishing her congratulations as well. She had came especially to watch her daughter's debut but she knew that she had to leave very soon as well because she had just received a call from France.

One by one, her friends began trickling out of the room having said their congratulations. A few of them had curfews, so they had to leave. Sakura and Syaoran both had a test in the morning so they needed to go home and study. Fujitaka left as well to catch a ride with Sonomi back to Tomoeda. Tomoyo still had a party with cast, so her driver would be taking her home.

Alone in her dressing room, neither Touya nor Tomoyo knew how to begin.

The silence felt awkward, so she decided to start with a question. "Did you like it? The play?"

Touya nervously scratched his head. "Yeah. It was good. It looked hard to make too. Your friends especially liked it. Tch. Those kids haven't changed. They are still as noisy as ever."

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "Another person plays the fox. The smoke screen was to camouflage our switch." Her back turned again to face the mirror and began removing the complicated headdress of her costume. "I am actually very glad they haven't changed… if they changed too much, Touya-nii… it would really break my heart."

When she looked like she was having trouble removing it, Touya stepped up to help. For a moment, she looked surprised but then it changed to a thankful expression. Neither said anything for a while as they removed it. Finally removed, it was placed on the costume rack.

"Your friend, Miharu, isn't it? He was pretty good too." He couldn't deny that. After all, the guy was practically playing two roles. The past Sho and the guy named Shoutaro. That couldn't be easy. "You two look close. Is he a boyfriend?"

Her smile became very sad. "Does it really? We are just… friends. He needed someone he knew could sympathize with what he is going through."

"And what is that?"

"A broken heart," she whispered. "His first love, Erina died shortly after-that is, shortly after he was discharged." She bit her lip nervously and guiltily for having almost mentioning Yukito. "Until now, he seems to still blame himself for not being with her. He says that I remind him of her in a way…" Being with her was probably the closest thing to being with Erina he could manage.

Touya did not say anything at first, but he felt relieved to know that they were not romantically involved. Miharu looked a bit young. But, Touya did understand about first loves. Sakura had hers at ten years old and Touya had his maybe a bit older, but still very young. Losing it is never an easy thing to get over. "I hope he knows that being with you will not get her back."

"He does… but I can't really fault him for missing her. Whenever I return to the hospital, I still think of her. That little girl was really special…"

Smiling knowingly, he answered. "If se really is anything like you, I bet she is."

Tomoyo looked away and blushed at the compliment. Also, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous about his smile. "Touya-nii?"

"Hnmm?"

"I need a favor, please? Sakura-chan told me to ask you, but you can say no if you aren't comfortable with the idea."

"What is it?"

"You see, Eriol-kun said that he was going to be a bit late for my birthday. His editor is not letting him go anywhere without finishing his next book." She blushed even more furiously. "I told him being late is fine, unfortunately… he was to be my escort for the evening. Now, I am left without an escort…"

Birthday? Touya remembered now. Tomoyo was turning sixteen in a couple of weeks. It felt like it wasn't so long ago that she was a cute ten year old. Now, she was almost all grown up…

"…If it is alright, would you be my escort?" she finished.

There was silence in the room first. Touya did not know how to respond. She looked so hopefully at him… it was almost impossible to say no. He knew it probably took her a lot of courage to ask him. If he said yes, that would mean he'd have to return to Tomoeda… and he didn't know if he was ready for that yet. However, he didn't want to disappoint her either.

Before he changed his mind, he said, "Sure. I'd be honored."

Her whole face brightened. "Thank you, Touya-nii. Thank you so much!" She was really already expecting him to say no. In fact, she was already preparing herself for the rejection.

Seeing her look so happy pleased him. It almost made him forget his doubts.

Almost.

By saying yes, he knew… in two weeks- he was going to be returning to Tomoeda.

Unknown to them, the necklace under Tomoyo's costume glowed… it was glowing _brown_.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Tsubame:** I actually have a different playlist for stories I am writing. It really helps me get into the mood of writing. I listen to a lot of Olivia Lufkin songs when I am writing anything from CLAMP. I think I like the sparkliness _(not Twilight sparkly)_ and prettiness. The play _'Fox Rain'_ is something I came up with when I was still watching _'My Girlfriend is a Gumiho' _but I thought that Tomoyo would be suited for the Feudal Era of Japan like in TRC.

I am actually thinking of writing a oneshot of the play. Is anybody interested? I am not sure if I am going to make it TouyaxTomoyo, EriolxTomoyo or KuroganexTomoyo. I guess it will definitely depend. Let me know what you think. I was going to write the whole story here, but I think it would be too long. The summary is already too long. Out of curiosity, I also tried to sing the Eriol's lyrics with the _Dream Catcher _song by Olivia and I could. I am not tempted to sing it just for the fun! But, it is just weird. xD

I really want to thank my reviewers.

_Annonymous Amethyst-_ Thank you for the review. I am so sorry I worried you. Please don't worry. It is really not my style for things to go too fast. I really hope you are still reading this and that I am doing well.

_Karen-_ Thank you! I am glad you like it!~

_GalanthaDreams_- I am glad you think so!~

_Prilly55-_ Thank you so much! I hope that the pacing is just right. That is probably one of the things I am concerned about. Very concerned in fact. If I ever go too fast, let me know.

Thank you very much, _Stoic Reviewer._ I know I really need a beta. I am always so lazy to correct my own tenses. I think it has been my problem since the beginning. I am glad you think this story has potential. I will try my best to keep it that way. If there are other things you want me to consider, please let me know.~

_A FAN-_ Thank you!

**Notes: **

**(Mood Colors)**

**(1) Gray** – Very Nervous; Anxious.

**(2) Blue** – Calm; Lovable.

**(3) Black** – Restless; Nervous; Tense.

**(4) Brown** – Energy; Excited; Adventurous.

**(5) Pale Orange** – Unsettled; Mixed Emotions.

**(6) Pink** – Fear; Uncertain.

**(7) Orange –** Daring; Stimulating.

**(8) Amber** – Restless.

**(9) Yellow** – Imaginative.

**(10) Lavender** – Clarity; Sensual.

**(11) Green** – Normal; Average.

**(12) White** – Bored; Frustrated.

**Listening to:** _Dream Catcher by Olivia Lufkin, Shadow of Love by Olivia Lufkin, Stars Shining Out by Olivia Lufkin, Bleeding Heart by Olivia Lufkin, Tell Me by Olivia Lufkin, Tears and Rainbows by Olivia Lufkin, Goodbye Days by Yui, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho OST, Lonely in Gorgeous by Tommy February6._

**Mood**: Happy!

**Spoiler: **

**: Chapter 4 :**

_~Sixteen Years Old: Starless Night_


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes: **

I hope you guys liked the last chapter. I think it was the hardest for me to write. It was already in my head, but putting the story into words was a challenge. Even though it was not in my original plan, Miharu's role in the story is becoming more important. I calculated the length of this story… I don't think it will stop at the fifth chapter after all. Maybe sixth or seventh. Not too sure. I actually surprised myself because the original plan was to only have three chapters. I find the shorter the better… because long stories worry me. Sometimes… I forget to finish.

I watched Kobato, another CLAMP work. Fujimoto reminded me so much of Touya. It was scary. But, after watching it- it is now one of my favorite series aside from Cardcaptor Sakura. Maybe I have a weakness for Magical Girls? By the way, I want to know… should I stop these very long author's notes? Anyway, you will find that both Kobato and Fujimoto are in this chapter. Just letting you know in advance in case I surprise you.

**Bad News:** My computer died. The next chapter will probably won't be done for a long time. I finished 1/4 already but I could not finished. I am thankful that I had this saved in my USB drive, or else there wouldn't be a chapter. I am still hoping to get it fixed. If not, I might have to restart the chapter all over again and hopefully satisfy myself by making it better. Otherwise, I might just might frustrate myself and stop here. I am a weird person. :D

I hope you enjoy the chapter! And, advance apologies if the next update may take a little- maybe a lot- longer.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Disclaimer:** The World you are about to Enter is Completely fictional. The characters belong to the Manga group, CLAMP. The Song _'Starless Night'_ belongs to Olivia Lukin and her company. Any events or characters resembling real people is purely coincidental… or I am just psychic. :D

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**:Chapter IV:**

**Sixteen Years Old: Starless Night**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_Take my hand  
It's because the two of us are fragile and imperfect  
That we'll stay holding hands forever_

_Starless night, Though complaints may cross my lips  
I want to believe in your warmth  
Endless love, I can love even my faults  
Because you are my shining star_

_Starless night, I won't look back on the shadow of my past  
I want to feel your warmth  
Tears falling down; even when I'm lost  
I won't let go of your hand_

**-By Olivia Lufkin from **_**Starless Night**_

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_September 3._

Touya felt like a fool. He was at the Tomoeda train station, carrying his overnight duffel bag. For days he had been staring at the phone telling himself that he should call her to tell her he changed his mind. In the end, he never did. It was too late to call and back out now. It would break her heart… and embarrass her in front of her friends. He didn't have the heart to do that.

On the train… he realized something else too.

He didn't have a present yet.

It wasn't like him to forget something as important as that. Maybe it was the stress of is exams. It was still unlike him, though. He had no choice but to buy something when he arrived to Tomoeda. What did people buy for a sixteen year old girl? To be more specific, a sixteen year old girl that practically had everything. He was really not very good at shopping for girls… that were not his sister.

Outside the train station, Syaoran Li was waiting for him. Sakura had probably pleaded with him to meet her brother at the train station while she was busy with Tomoyo with preparations for her birthday party. But neither of them really see eye to eye. The hostility that had started from when he had first bullied Sakura was still present despite the fact that he was now dating Sakura. Touya didn't doubt Syaoran's feelings for Sakura, but he still didn't like the younger boy.

"I'm supposed to keep you occupied until the party," Syaoran told him grudgingly. There was a deep frown on his forehead. It was obvious that he would really prefer to be doing something else. "I am not here because I want to."

He frowned back and walked pass him. "Then don't stay. I used to live here, remember? It's not like I need a tour guide."

"A few things have changed the last three years. Your sister thought you'd like to see the new go cart track." Since Sakura asked him, he couldn't really refuse. "The party doesn't start until this evening, there is time to kill." Smirking, he continued. "You aren't scared that I'd beat you in a race, are you?"

Now that really annoyed Touya. Who was this brat to dare him like this? "You're on," he said before he could stop himself.

He sighed, later regretting the impulsive decision for a moment and was tempted to just turn around and forget it. It was childish to take that dare with that brat. After all these years, he never learned to like his sister's boyfriend. He turned around and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" His sister's boyfriend shouted, amused by his irritation. He smirked and puts on his helmet, choosing a dark green car. For years, the older Kinomoto and him had made him feel like a bug. He wasn't going to back down on an opportunity to win against him without worrying Sakura. "Don't tell me you are suddenly running scared."

He froze. Did the brat just call him a coward? "Shut up," he muttered, walking forward towards another go cart. He took the helmet offered by one of the mechanics and puts it on. There were two other cars on the track and revved their engines. As soon the light turned green, the cars took off. The first half of the race, Touya and Syaoran were leading.

Everything was doing fine at first, but at the last rotation something wasn't right. Syaoran sped up for the last sprint- but then something went wrong with the engine. Smoke was coming out from it. Suddenly losing control of his car and having trouble seeing through the smoke. Touya noticed this and knew if he did not think of something, Syaoran was going to crash. Calculating the timing, he edged closer to Syaoran's car and maneuvered it to safety, giving up the race.

Thanks to that, he didn't crash and was safely parked on one side of the tack. The good thing was that the breaks seem to be fine.

One of the two other cars stopped beside their cars while the other sped past them all towards the finished line. The driver took off his helmet and called out to them, "Hey! Are you both alright."

Touya took off his helmet and turned to tell him that they were fine. But to his surprise, he saw a familiar face. It was Tomoyo's friend at the play, Miharu. It may not seem like it with the lack of costume but he was still the same guy. And it seemed he recognized Touya too. "Eh, I saw you at the play… you were with Miss Tomoyo."

But they had no time to talk because the mechanics came running to see how much damage were made on the cars and to see if they two drivers were hurt. A team of nurses came too, but both boys insisted that it wasn't necessary. Just a few bruises and cuts but nothing that needs too much attention.

While the people from the track took care of the cars, the three boys went to a small diner nearby. There weren't a lot of people around yet, so it wasn't very crowded. But the sight of three good-looking boys had not gone unnoticed. The diner's female patrons didn't even bother to hide their intense interest in the trio. Miharu maybe barely in his teens- but he was unnaturally tall for his age.

Now that they were alone, Miharu introduced himself properly to the two. "It is nice to meet you two. I'm Miharu Takezawa. Miss Tomoyo's friend. I saw the both of you at the play… I guess in the excitement I wasn't really able to meet you guys."

Syaoran gave a friendly smile and nodded. For him, Daidouji had always been a good judge of character. Also, he stopped to see if they were alright and the other guy just left them. He could have easily done the same thing. "I had to leave after the play anyway. There was not a lot of time to talk." That night he had been asked by his mother to talk to an acquaintance of hers. "My name is Syaoran Li."

Touya was quiet, not really bothering to introduce himself at first. But the warning look Syaoran gave him told him that he had to. He was sending the older boy signals telling him that they should be friendlier to Tomoyo's friend. "Touya Kinomoto," he finally answered.

"Syaoran? So you're Miss Sakura's boyfriend? And you-" she turned to Touya. "You're her brother? Miss Tomoyo talks about you sometimes. She says you listen to her songs."

Shrugging, he replied, "Sometimes. A long time ago. I haven't been in town for a while." He realized then that he really had to leave soon. He still needed to buy a present for the birthday girl. It would be embarrassing if her escort was the only one who didn't get her anything.

Before he could excuse himself, Syaoran spoke up. "You like go cart racing?"

The young boy brightened. "I love _racing!_ The adrenaline rush is awesome! Especially the winning and seeing your opponents biting your dust."

"Yet you stopped to see if we were alright. Thanks for that," Syaoran commented.

"It's nothing. It's not like I wanted to win _that_ badly! If you guys were hurt, it wouldn't be like winning at all!" He argued, his face was a picture of surprise and embarrassment. Touya and Syaoran couldn't help but smirk. Miharu tried very hard to be mature, but some part of him was still a child. "And… racing really reminds me of someone important to me. So…" There was a blush rising to his cheeks that Touya and Syaoran found hard to ignore.

"How did you get into racing?" Syaoran asked just as the waitress came to take their orders. It took a while because they it took a while to decide which waitress should go.

"Well, after I injured my leg when I was a kid… the doctor said that I had no hope to become a professional basketball player I wanted to be at that time." There was no sign of sadness or regret when he said this.

"At that time?"

"Then… I met someone. She told me, if I couldn't do one dream then choose another." The boyish blush was back, but coupled with a sad smile.

"Smart girl," Touya nodded, quietly, wondering who this friend was.

"I know."

Watching Miharu, Touya was sure of one thing. The young boy cared for the person very, very much. He remembered the girl Tomoyo talked about after her play. She said a girl named, Erina, was his first love. Instincts told him that he was probably talking about her. Touya knew the feeling. After all, he went through it too before. But, the boy was still quite very young. Touya knew he will be fine but that was probably going to be in his heart a long time.

"What about you, Touya-san?" Miharu asked, turning to Touya. "I heard you are paying your own way through college."

Touya was surprised he knew this, but nodded in reply. " Who told you?"

"Miss Tomoyo did," Miharu grinned, "She talks about you a lot-aside from Sakura-san of course. She looks up to you a lot. She says you're as honorable as a ninja."

"You mean… samurai, right?"

"I'm sorry, yes. Samurai." Miharu nodded, accepting the mistake. And, Miharu had to admit that he could see why she was so fond of her bestfriend's older brother. He saw everything that happened on the race track. Touya had saved Syaoran without hesitation. There was something else magnetic about him that he could not place. Sometimes, Tomoyo had a very foreign look in her eyes when she talked about Touya, which was made him very curious about him.

Touya almost smiled. How many times had she called him that. Even now, it still sounded strange to him. A small sliver of joy washed over him

A minute later, their orders arrived. While sipping on his soda, Syaoran asked, "You were pretty good at your play. You also got rave reviews for portraying two different characters. Are you planning to be an actor?"

Miharu paused, thinking about how to answer that. "To be honest, I am not at all that sure. When I was at the hospital… I played pretend with a friend of mine all the time. She would write stories and I would read them aloud making voices and acting them out. It was really fun." Then he shrugged. "But I am not sure about making a career out of it. I don't want to become an idol or anything. I just want to act in the stories Erina used to make. Erina used to make great stories…"

_Used to?_

So, he was right. The little girl Tomoyo mentioned and the friend Miharu was talking about were one and the same. It also means that Miharu's Erina was dead.

The conversation shifted to sports. Syaoran and Miharu both liked soccer. Touya just listened, though he also played soccer Yuki was a better player than him. Half way through finishing his burger, he realized that he really should be moving. "I really got to go," he excused himself, beginning to stand up and stuffing the last of his burger inside his mouth. "I have to get something before the party."

"What is it? Maybe we can help," Miharu offered.

But Touya shook his head. "No. I want to take a look around Tomoeda myself." He wanted to choose something alone… and he really wanted to be alone for a while. It doesn't show, but he really couldn't believe he was back in Tomoeda. He didn't think he'd be back in a while. Or at least until his little sister's wedding.

Syaoran shrugged. "Suit yourself. Don't be late." He warned, reminding him subtly that he was Tomoyo's escort.

"I won't. Just send the address to my phone, and I'll pick Tomo- Daidouji up later," he said before standing up. He really had no idea where to start or what to give her. Turning then to Miharu, he ruffled the kid's hair a bit. "See you later, kid." He knew that he was going to be at Tomoyo's party later.

Miharu nodded and waved. "Goodbye." Once he was gone, the younger boy chuckled and told Syaoran, looking very amused. "He is exactly like Tomoyo-chan said he is."

Outside, he joined the crowd of people, who like him, were busying themselves with shopping or window-shopping. Once in a while of course, a few high school girls would look his way and giggle. Mostly, he ignored them and continued to look at shops for possible presents. He really wasn't an expert on buying presents for girls.

Suddenly, he stopped at a shop named, _Wish,_ with a sign that had picture of full moon on it. His thoughts suddenly drifted to Yue- and then finally, Yukito. It was difficult to imagine that it's already been three years. The changes in Tomoeda were subtle. New shops. New roads. A few new buildings. But Tomoeda still retained its charm and homey atmosphere.

While he stared at the picture of the moon, the shop's pretty owner got out and saw him. She watched him curiously at first, wondering why this good-looking boy was standing there and staring at her sign rather dazedly.

"Young man, may I help you?"

Touya stopped staring long enough to see who was speaking. He saw the lovely woman and felt a bit of embarrassment for the staring. "No. I was just leaving. I'm sorry." He was about to leave but the woman stopped him.

She gave a friendly smile and gestured for him to enter. "Don't be shy, young man. Come in. Maybe you will see something that will interest you. My husband and I were just putting a few things on display. Come on! You'll never know."

Much too polite to refuse, he entered the tiny shop. Inside, he saw that the shop was probably a little new. He could still smell a bit of the fresh coat of paint and varnish. Many of the furniture were still arranged at the sides. Boxes were still stacked to the roof and unopened.

Probably realizing that maybe it wasn't the time to entertain visitors, the woman paused and said, "Maybe… maybe I should open this first, right?"

Touya's sweat dropped, wondering if the woman was alright. Before he could say anything, a man, presumably the woman's husband entered from the back, carrying three heavy boxes. "Kobato, did you finish…" The man paused when he saw that they had a visitor in their midst. "Who are you?"

"Fujimoto-san," the woman named, Kobato said brightly. "I saw him outside. He seemed so lost standing there, I thought maybe I could help him with whatever is troubling him.

Her husband sighed. His wife, since the day they met, had not changed at all. She was still very much the same naïve and kind girl that saw every bright side to every dark cloud. He smiled, remembering it was one of the many reasons why he married her. Turning to the new comer, he nodded his head politely. "I'm sorry. We're not exactly opened yet, but if you find something you like I'll ring it up for you."

Touya thought it would have been easy to just leave, but he didn't feel comfortable with just doing that. Removing his jacket and putting it on a nearby chair, he told them, "I'll give you guys a hand."

Kobato brightened like a Christmas tree. "Really! Thank you, young man! What is your name?"

"Touya… Kinomoto," he answered politely.

Fujimoto smirked. "Stop acting like an auntie. You're probably the same age as this kid." He nodded to Touya. "I'm Fujimoto Kiyokazu. This is my wife, Kobato. Kinomoto… is your father a teacher?"

Blinking comically, she asked, "Really? How old are you?"

Touya was surprised by the question. Did he know his father? "Twenty-three. Yes. My father is Fujitaka Kinomoto," he answered.

"Then-then! We are about the same age! I turned twenty one this year," Kobato said.

"So young," he commented. The young woman, Kobato, looked very young. It was hard to believe they were the same age. If he were to guess, from her youthful appearance and energy, he'd say that she was probably still in school. "How old were you when you got married?"

While Kobato was embarrassed by the question, Fujimoto looked quite amused. He decided to answer for her. "She was eighteen at that time. I was twenty-six." Fujimoto didn't comment more about Touya's father. In truth, Fujitaka was his teacher when he was still at the University. Not many teachers liked Fujimoto's anti-social ways, but he Touya's father had been different. He had helped Fujimoto in a number of occasions including times when he was in need of a job, saying that Fujimoto reminded him a lot of his son. It was not very difficult to conclude that Touya may be the son he was talking about.

For Touya, it was even harder to believe that Fujimoto was twenty-nine years old. Fujimoto Kiyokazu, still looked like a man in his early twenties and not a man approaching thirty. It is true that he was tall, but there was still something youthful about him. But he later shrugged, remembering that his father did not look like a father or a man over forty five. "If you really want to help, there are a few more boxes at the back."

With a nod, Touya went to the back and left the husband and wife alone. "Mind telling me the reason you ambushed that kid, Dobato?"

Kobato frowned and crossed her arms. She hated it when her husband called her that. "Meanie, and I didn't ambush him. I was trying to help him."

"Oh? Is that what you call it?"

"Yeah," she insisted stubbornly. "He reminded me so much of you… Fujimoto." She was shy in admitting this. "When you were young. He had the same troubled expression you had when… I left."

Fujimoto smiled and kissed his wife's forehead affectionately. "Like I lost a very important thing in my life?"

Still blushing, Kobato shyly nodded. "I will never forget it."

"If that is true, it really isn't our business to interfere with his recovery," he told her gently.

"But…"

Fujimoto understood that his wife was simply too kind. "Believe me, Kobato. Until he finds what exactly he is looking for, that look won't disappear. We can alleviate it a bit with distractions, but that won't change." His face softened, looking at Kobato with all the love he felt. "But, when he finds it… he will be the happiest man in the world."

Touya stayed at the shop for a couple of eyes, helping with carrying while Kobato arranged everything according to her wishes. He discovered that Fujimoto was a lawyer and one of the best in the area too. But he never over charged. Sometimes, he would just accept whatever the client can offer because they were too poor. He was a really good man, the kind of man he'd like to be someday. Of course he could not voice that out.

Kobato was an heiress a very wealthy one, but you'd never really know when you look at her. She did not dress expensively, just a simple cotton dress. The most expensive thing she wore was probably the diamond marriage ring on her finger. She wanted to open the shop because she wanted to make people happy. It was such a childish wish that Touya had to smile.

"All done!" she announced twirling in the center of the room. Fujimoto was at the back at the moment to take a look at the account books for a while.

It was only then did Touya notice that it also doubled as a cake shop, but Kobato explained that the cakes were going to arrive in the morning. "I really have to go now," he told them. "I still have to buy a gift for… a friend."

"Eh? Really? What do you have in mind? Maybe I can help," she offered. "Tell me about your friend."

He was about to decline, but he saw the eager to help look he had on her face. He didn't feel right disappointing her. At the same time, he felt awkward describing Tomoyo. "She's a real lady. Kind, polite and… pretty. Long hair and white skin, but pretty small…it is a bit hard to find something for her when she can easily buy it herself. She likes bringing around a camera, but I can't really afford the equipment. She also designs clothes… but I don't think giving her a sewing needle is an option. I don't want to embarrass her on her sixteenth birthday." He didn't know what else to add.

Kobato nodded and it seemed like she was struck with an idea. "I got it! Just wait here, Touya-kun!" Kobato ran off to the back, leaving Touya curious what she was up to. A few minutes later, she came back with something in her arms. "This will be perfect! I am sure your friend will like it."

Touya took a look at what was in her arms and saw a jeweled box. Inside was a jeweled comb with intricate molding similar to the box. The beautiful design looked very old… probably an antique. He didn't know much about antiques, but he knew that there was no way he could afford this. "I can't afford this."

"I am giving this to you," she told him, placing the box the table. "This is my thank you for helping us today."

"I can't. I wouldn't feel right just taking this. It must be very expensive."

It was priceless, but Kobato didn't tell him this. It had been in her family for many years. At first, she thought of just putting the lovely thing on display. But, something in her heart told her that the right thing was to give this to him. Touya really did remind her very much of her younger husband. It was not the looks. Fujimoto was a little taller and his eyes were green. But he did have the lonely look in his eyes that Touya did when he stared up at the sign outside. "Please, Touya-kun. It would really mean a lot to me," she whispered, now looking very hurt at the refusal. "She will like this. Girls like combs. Kohaku-san even says that to some girls hair is their life."

Touya wasn't sure if Tomoyo was that kind of girl, but he just couldn't refuse her. She was pretty persistent, and if she was anything like Sakura- then she probably won't stop until he accepted it. With a sigh, he accepted the box and muttered, "I guess I should get it gift wrapped."

A few minutes later, with the gift wrapped package in a shopping bag, Touya waved goodbye to Kobato and asked her if she could tell her husband goodbye. She also made him promise to see them before he left for school. Fujimoto came out from the back room. She told him about giving Touya the comb for his female friend.

For a moment, Fujimoto was quiet, trying to remember the item, when he finally remembered, he asked, "Did he say if this girl is his girlfriend."

"No. Not at all. But it was a really pretty comb."

Her husband gives another tired sigh and shook his head. "Dobato, your naivety has done it again."

"Eh?"

Touya looked at the time and realized that he stayed at the shop much longer than he thought. He only had a couple of hours to get ready and pick up Tomoyo. Knowing this, it made him feel a bit nervous. He wasn't really sure why when he had been asked to be an acquaintance's escort before for proms or debuts. It wasn't really a big deal. It shouldn't be. She was his cousin and had known her since his little sister was in elementary.

At the Kinomoto home, he found that it was empty. His sister was at the Daidoujis' getting ready and may have taken Kero with her; his father was probably still at the University for his lecture. Nothing had changed much. His mother's photograph was still on top of the dining table, his sister's room was still a mess from his sister's rush to leave. Not surprisingly, his room was practically untouched. Sakura probably came in to clean up once in a while, but everything was just as he left it even after so many years.

On top of his shelf, the arrowhead that he got from Yukito when he won his first inter-school Archery contest. Yuki said that he could have it as a souvenir. When he left home, he didn't have the heart to bring it with him.

Touya reached up and touched it. Seeing it still hurt, so it made him wonder if what they say about time healing wounds was true. Quickly, he turned away and returned to surveying his room.

The only thing new was the suit that Sakura prepared for him to wear. It looked pretty new. She had probably figured out that he grew a few more inches over the years and needed a new suit. Touya smiled. It wasn't like his sister to notice these kind of details. The sister he remembered was a bit of a scatterbrain but cute. Sakura was definitely still cute, but it seems she grew up a bit more now.

Picking up the suit, he touched the perfectly pressed shirt and the smooth collar of the jacket. Nostalgia washed over him. He was going to miss that scatterbrained and clumsy sister of his but he felt pride in the more mature sister she had become. Not wanting to be late, he took a quick bath before deciding to give his sister a call.

Sakura picked up after the third ring. There was a lot of laughing and giggling in the back ground. He listened as he waited for the laughter had faded a bit, knowing his sister probably left the room to take his call. "Onii-chan! What is wrong? Doesn't that suit fit?"

"I fits just fine. I'm even surprised you knew my size," he told her, smiling.

"Oh, it wasn't me. It was Tomoyo-chan. I was a bit surprised too actually," she admitted.

"Daidouji?" How did she know his size?

"She came with me shopping. I wasn't sure what size you were, but Tomoyo-chan began putting on jackets and then she suddenly said _'this is it.'_ It was really strange. I really wondered how Tomoyo-chan was so sure."

Touya was quiet, wondering as well. Then he remembered the night she visited him at his apartment. He remembered lending her his jacket when he walked her to her car. For some reason, the thought of her putting on jackets to try and measure from memory made him smile.

"Onni-chan? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'll get ready and I'll see you guys in half an hour. Does that sound good?"

"Perfect! And, onii-chan? Thank you for doing this for Tomoyo-chan." Sakura did understand that the choice wasn't easy. Returning still hurt and it took a lot to return and pretending to be fine.

"It's no problem. I'll see you soon."

When he puts down the phone, he begins to get ready for the party. Just as he finished tying his shoes, his father knocked on the door and opened it. His father smiled seeing his son almost ready. "I see you're almost ready, Touya-kun. I left the keys on the kitchen table. Tell everyone I will be late but I will catch up after the meeting."

Despite the fact that three years had passed, very little had changed in the appearance of the older Kinomoto. He was still quite as handsome and young-looking as he did when he left. The only change was the haircut that Sakura probably insisted on. Their father's hair was slightly shorter than he remembered.

Touya nodded, as he began straightening his tie.

"Are you going back after tonight?"

Again, Touya nodded as he finished the last knot on his tie. "I have exams coming up and I can't blow them. I have to work on getting that internship I wanted."

Fujitaka chuckled and nodded. "In other word, you're going to be pretty busy soon, huh? Sakura is going to miss you again." He wasn't surprised when his son said nothing. Touya always felt a bit guilty when he hears that he had upset Sakura. "Just remember to call or write when you have the time."

He answered with another nod and sighed when he finally finished dressing.

His father was about to leave when he saw a shopping bag on his son's desk. "Is this your present for Tomoyo-chan?" he asked, curious. He walked towards it and removed the present tied with a ribbon from the shopping bag. "What is in it?"

For the first time, Fujitaka saw his son actually blush and quickly turn away, pretending to redo his tie. "Yeah. It's nothing. You'll know when she opens it I guess."

Putting the present back in the shopping bag, Fujitaka nodded. "I will be in time for that I hope." It was only then that he realized the time. "I have to go now. You will pick up Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan, won't you?"

"Sakura is riding with Li. Do you need a ride?"

His father shook his head. "Daidouji-san already offered. She has business at the University as well." Moments later, Fujitaka left. Touya found the car keys where his father said they were and drove to the Daidouji mansion.

Even with all his attempts to relax, he found that staying calm was much harder than he thought.

* * *

From the balcony above the ballroom, Tomoyo and Touya watched her guests having a wonderful time and waltzing beautifully across the ballroom. It was a great party and everyone was having a wonderful time. Tomoyo was glad she decided to rent a ballroom from the Tomoeda hotel for her birthday. The whole ballroom was decorated to look like a ball fit for a princess. White laced table cloths and on top of each table was a was of white lilies.

Tomoyo had set her camera there and she was now focusing it on Sakura and Syaoran who were dancing closely and staring at each other with love in their eyes.

"They look so happy, don't they?" she whispered, her eyes looking through the camera's lens.

But Touya was far from being interested in watching his sister with her boyfriend. His eyes instead were on his official date of the evening. When he arrived to pick her up that evening, he had been too tongue-tied to say anything. When he first saw her as she opened the door, he had no idea how to say how pretty he thought she was- so he oddly remained quiet. He saw the disappointment in her eyes when he didn't say anything even as they walked towards the car.

She was wearing a lovely powder blue dress and her long hair was arranged skillfully above her head. He wasn't sure if the dress was one of her designs, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was. It looked like it was made for her.

Still he did not say anything.

Tomoyo was beginning to worry. "Touya-nii, have I done something wrong?" she asked softly. "You have not said anything to me all night."

He didn't say anything about how she looked that night.

He didn't greet her a happy birthday.

She saw him talk to her mother, Syaoran, Sakura and even some of her friends, but all night, he hadn't said one word to her. She did not understand why and could only conclude that he had done something wrong. Tomoyo soon discovered how unpleasant the feeling of insecurity was.

This surprised Touya, because he did not think Tomoyo would come to that conclusion at all. "Of course not," he told her. "That is just ridiculous."

"Then why don't you say anything?"

Touya, instinctively rubbed his neck in a nervous gesture. "I just didn't know what to say to you. That' all."

She smiled. "Did you run out of things to say?"

He smirked and said, "More like not wanting to say the wrong thing."

"That's easy."

"It is? What should I say, then?"

"How about a happy birthday? I have been waiting for you to say it all night," she confessed, she tried to appear teasing about it. But she really had been waiting for him to tell her that all night.

Touya smiled softly, feeling a bit silly for being so nervous earlier. Tomoyo was pretty tonight, but she was still Tomoyo. The Tomoyo that let him listen to her songs; the Tomoyo that listened to him play the piano; the Tomoyo that would look at him with such soft eyes that would leave mortal men weak. "Happy Birthday, Tomoyo," he told her. "May many more come."

"Thank you, Touya-nii."

Their conversation was cut short when Tomoyo's bodyguard, Yuiko came to remind Tomoyo that everyone would be looking for her soon for her to open her presents. Tomoyo felt sad that their brief conversation was interrupted but knew better than not to appear. "I will be right there, Yuiko-san."

Yuiko left, leaving Touya and Tomoyo alone again. "I guess we can continue this conversation later."

Tomoyo turned and left the balcony with Yuiko. Touya decided to stay a little longer to watch the people below. The party was calming down now and a few of the guests with curfews already left for home, like Miharu. There were a few late comers. His father arrived with Tomoyo's mother. They went straight to the hotel after their business at the University. Eriol and Kaho had arrived as well. They were busy being greeted by old friends and Kaho's old students. Touya did not hold any bitter feelings from their break up anymore. From what he could tell, she was happy and content now and he could understand why she thought they should separate. It not only been because for her but also for him.

He continued to watch her for a few minutes, it was only later did he notice that Eriol was not in the ballroom anymore.

"She is very happy, if you are curious."

Touya knew that it would be Eriol. The boy had gone through a growth spurt the last few years. He was now almost as tall as him. It was annoying the heck out of him, but he didn't say that. It seemed he was also letting his hair grow, so he pulled it back in a ponytail. "I can see that for myself."

Eriol chuckled and joined him by the banister, watching the guests dance and mingle with one another. "You still do not like me very much, I see."

Shrugging, Touya answered, "Not because of Kaho. But because of you, brat… you gave my sister a lot of trouble. And Yuki." He hesitated before continuing. "You knew all about Yuki, you brat."

He did not deny knowing about Yukito's condition from the very beginning. He could not say it, but it really was out of his hands. "I sincerely apologize. For Yukito and Sakura-chan. It was not my intent to do harm to her. It was necessary. Please believe me when I say that I wish it wasn't. I have been waiting for Sakura for a long time, but I care for her very much. As for the being called Yukito Tsukishiro. It was not supposed to come to that."

Touya did not want to hear anymore. "I have a feeling that you are here not only to discuss about Kaho, Yuki or my sister, brat," Touya smirked, turning to face him. "No beating around the bush. What is it?"

The younger boy smiled. Touya may have lost his magical powers, but he was still very much incredibly sharp. "You are correct. My worry is for Miss Tomoyo. Before you say anything, need I remind you that even with only half my powers I am still considerably powerful. I see something in her heart… and yours."

Touya was tempted to tell him to mind his own business. He didn't like the idea of someone trying to look into his heart. Irritated, he pushed away from the banister and began walking away.

Knowing that Touya was not in the mood to listen, he told him, "Don't hurt her, please. She is a friend that is dear to me."

Touya continued to walk away, but he heard the request very clearly. It confused him why he would make such a request. He and Tomoyo did not have that kind of relationship. They were friends and… cousins. It was normal to miss the other and to ask the other favors, right? He had done the same for others before.

Maybe the magician boy's senses aren't as sharp as they used to be.

Imagine his surprise when he found Kaho waiting for him below the stairs. She smiled the beautiful smile that had first drawn him to her. It was a smile that reminded him so much of his mother. Playful and sweet.

"Touya, you look extremely well."

Unable to help himself, he smiled back. "You do too, Kaho." Walking beside her, he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You have not changed at all."

It wasn't completely true. Her hair was a shorter now, styled in an elegant bob. She got a haircut recently, but she still looked quite beautiful and not looking as youthful as the woman he dated years ago. He could still see, even that moment why he loved her. But that is a past tense now and they were just friends.

"I was hoping I would get a chance to talk to you while I'm here. Shall we?"

They left the ballroom and went to the lobby. There they sat down at the waiting area and asked one of the hotel employees if they could have some coffee. While they waited, Kaho began asking Touya about his schooling and friends at the University. And he answered almost all of her questions, careful to avoid certain subjects like Tomoeda and his return. But, Kaho was sharp. She noticed but pretended not to.

It was strange how comfortable the atmosphere was between these exes. Maybe it was because they moved on. Or maybe because they know very well that the other loved someone else now. It doesn't take a genius to know whom Kaho's heart belonged to, but Touya was trickier.

Touya never made declarations of love or be flamboyant with his feelings. He is very subtle with his feelings. So subtle in fact that the only one who would be able to see them is the object of his affections. At least that was what it was like with the both of them. There was never a moment that she doubted his feelings for her. But, Kaho wasn't sure if his current object of affection sees it, or possibly she may refuse to see it.

"Did you know you gave many a surprise when you chose to return?" Kaho asked him solemnly, crossing her legs in an elegant pose. It was difficult to imagine that this same lady was like his mother- a natural klutz at times. "Many thought that you wouldn't return for at least another year or so. What changed?"

"You know perfectly well what," he answered, now looking almost annoyed by the direction he knew this conversation was going to go. "That magician brat cancelled on Daidouji as an escort, so I am here as a last-minute replacement."

"Tomoyo-chan has plenty of friends. You are aware of that. You could have still said no, but you didn't. Why?"

He refused to answer. Instead, he looked away making it clear that he was not answering that. She is a friend and he did care for her, but she had no business asking that. He did not have a relationship with Tomoyo. And in his opinion… it was better that way. The invisible wounds that Yuki left had not completely disappeared yet. It wouldn't be fair for her… or any girl. It would never work out. He knew it and he'd rather avoid having his heart broken again. Picking up the pieces was much too tedious a task.

Their coffee arrived, but they continued to catch up. It was only when the coffee was long gone did they realize how much time they spent talking already.

"I believe it is time to return," Kaho announced noticing the time. "It is almost time for Tomoyo-chan to begin opening her presents."

He smiled and nodded. "It was great to talk to you again, Kaho."

Chuckling softly, she nodded back. "To you too, Touya-kun." She started to get up from her seat.

He grabbed her arm and stopped her from rising. There was one last thing he wanted to know. He knew that after she would leave, there was no knowing the next time they will meet. "Kaho, I need to ask. I never had the chance to ask this before, but- are you happy?"

Touched by his concern, she patted his hand comfortingly. "I am very happy."

Slowly, Touya released his hold on her arm and watched as she went ahead to join the others at the party for the gift opening. He stayed there a few minutes more and was just deep in thought. It was strange seeing his first girlfriend again. And seeing her very happy with someone else. It was only the loud squeals and giggles coming from the ballroom that reminded him to return.

When he got back, most of the girls were already gathering around Tomoyo. Most of the adults and males stayed at a distance, watching the girls squeal and awes with each present opened.

"This is from Sakura-chan," Rika said, pulling out another box from the pile and handing it to her friend. It was decorated with pink wrapping paper and pink and white ribbons.

Tomoyo gushed happily and gave Sakura a tight hug. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

With a giggle, Sakura hugged her friend back. "Silly, you haven't even opened it yet."

"I still know that I will love it," Tomoyo answered with a wink, as she began to undo the ribbons. Briefly, she looked up to notice Touya enter and join the table Fujitaka, her grandfather and her mother were occupying.

Curiosity was eating her. She saw Touya and Miss Kaho leave together somewhere when she got back to ask him something. She felt horrible because she knew that it was none of her business. They weren't dating or anything. She was used to being curious about Sakura's lovelife, but having the same curiosity for Touya felt new. She used to blush around him because sometimes he reminded her so much of Sakura…

…but now she wondered if that was really all it was.

"It's a necklace!" she announced to the group as she gently inspected the precious present. It wasn't expensive, but it was very lovely- made of silver and in the shape of a G Clef. Sakura then took it and wore it around Tomoyo's neck. "I will cherish it, Sakura-chan."

The other girl gave her another hug and said, "I know you will. Happy sixteenth birthday, Tomoyo-chan. I hope you will always be happy!"

"Here's another one. It's from Sakura-chan's dad."

The present was in an odd shape and wrapped in a hurry. From the look on Sakura's face she was probably the one who wrapped it. No one could really guess what was inside it. It seemed Eriol was smiling and looking very strangely amused though. Tomoyo threw him a look, asking if he knew something that she didn't. He just smiled back innocently, pretending not to know what she was talking about. She stared suspiciously at him for a moment, but then returned her attention to the present, not wanting to disappoint Sakura's father.

When she opened it, she was surprised because they appeared to be old piano music sheets. At first it confused Tomoyo, but Eriol told her to open to the first page. When she did, she received a surprise when she saw the name there.

_Amamiya Nadeshiko_

She turned towards her mother and Fujitaka. They were both giving please grins.

Sakura was squealing happily. "This was mama's! But I thought onii-chan had them."

This time, she could not avoid turning to Touya. It seemed he was aware of what his father had planned to give her. They were his for a time. Those were the materials he used when he had first began learning to play the piano. But, now he felt they should be given to Tomoyo… who had inherited his mother's love for music. She actually did not know what to say. She was really too touched. It must have been difficult to part with something this priceless.

Naoko interrupted her before she could say anything. "There is one last present! It's from Sakura-chan's brother."

Touya was surprised. He was actually hoping that she had opened it while he had been gone. It was ridiculous but he felt a bit shy about his present. Kobato might be right. She might love it, but at the same time… he was worried. Maybe it wasn't her style? Or maybe it was too old? Or in might even be in the verge of breaking?

He could name a number of reasons how something could go wrong.

Tomoyo took extra care opening his present. When she did, she was awed by the detailed designs on the box and the lovely golden lock and key. It was carved by hand and it looked like it was quite old… but far too beautiful to dislike. Tomoyo could feel that plenty of love was given making it. When she opened it, a beautiful jeweled comb sat in the middle of a bed of satin material. It looked as old as the box and it seemed the same care was given in making it. It had gold in it's design and judging from the worksmanship a lot of skill was needed to make the mold just right.

The girls gathered around gasped and admired Touya's taste. Some were even joking that they'd like him to buy them a present someday. Tomoyo wasn't really paying attention now. She was much too busy inspecting the beautiful thing. She couldn't help but wonder how much it had cost because it looked very expensive.

Eriol whispered something to her when she still didn't respond after a few tries. "Do you want me to help you put it on?" he asked innocently.

Finally remembering she was still in the middle of her party, she smiled and nodded to Eriol. Yes, she wanted very much to wear it now. Eriol's smile softened and stepped behind her, helping her free her hair from all the hairpins. When it was finally splayed around her shoulders like a dark waterfall, he began combing her hair.

Their friends were much too busy admiring the gifts Tomoyo received… or listening to Yamazaki who was entertaining the group with a story about the original combs made by the cavemen from the bones of fish and dinosaurs they hunted and ate. It was also that they were a bit used to Eriol's display of gentry. Unfortunately, Touya was not really pleased or used to his gentry. He watched the two of them with a deep frown marring his face. He watched him comb her hair and now he was almost tempted to go over there and strangle the London brat.

While he was brushing her hair, only once did Eiol look up. He looked straight at Touya and gave a laughing and knowing look. He knew exactly what he was doing and was provoking him, as if asking him what he was going to do about it. Touya crushed the can of soda in his hands, surprising his father and Tomoyo's mother.

"Is there anything wrong, Touya?" His father asked, concerned.

"No, dad. I just don't know my own strength." He stands up and excused himself, telling them he needed to go to the bathroom and wash his hands.

When Touya made his exit, Eriol quickly arranged her hair with the comb while Chiharu pulled a mirror out of her purse. "That looks very pretty, Tomoyo-chan," Chiharu chirped.

Still smiling, Tomoyo nodded, admiring Eriol's skill with hair and the pretty comb that didn't compliment her dress at all, but made her feel very beautiful. She looked up only to find Touya had disappeared. Her expression fell, but she forced a cheer back when Sakura began asking her if she was alright.

Eriol separated from the group for a while and briefly returned to Kaho's side. She was giving him a knowing look and shook her head. "You are up to your wicked ways again, making Touya-kun jealous like that." She already knew about how he used to make Syaoran jealous when he had first been unsure about his feelings for Sakura. "It is never a good idea to provoke him."

He took her hand kissed the back of it. "I only gave them a push," he defended himself. "It appears that they need it."

Kaho sighed, knowing that this was Eriol's way of showing his kindness. It may not be the normal means but she knew he always had a good reason for his manipulation. "Are you very sure, Eriol? I am very worried," she admitted. "I don't want this to end in heartbreak for either of them."

No. He was not. Neither fate or the stars could give him much help. They gave him vague and unclear answers. This was based mostly on what he could see and feel. He had read many letters from Tomoyo and she talked very fondly of Touya. Sakura talked a bit about her brother too and even expressing her surprise that Touya agreed to see Tomoyo's play and be her escort. After many years of avoiding anything that reminded him of Tomoeda, he willingly returned only because Tomoyo was in a little trouble.

Kaho was the less uncertain. What she was certain about was that Touya was not going to be happy with this 'push' Eriol was giving them. But she did think there was reason to be hopeful. She had been watching him when Eriol had been combing Tomoyo's hair and she saw a look that looked a lot like jealousy. If Eriol was wrong, they would do irreparable damage to two hearts that had already experienced heartbreak at least once. Kaho wasn't sure if she could risk that.

Eriol noticed that worried look and squeezed her hand comfortingly. Kaho knew that she would play along with Eriol's plan for the simple reason that she knew that these two lonely people would find the one who would take the loneliness away.

She gave another smile and returned to watching her former students having such a wonderful time. Eriol grew taller and his appearance slightly changed over the years, but he was still the same person he was in that twelve year old body that used any means to getting what he wants.

"Don't push too hard."

Moments later, Eriol returned to the crowd gathered around Tomoyo. Kaho smiled. Eriol really was kind to those he cared for. People didn't really see that about him, and Kaho admitted that it was not something easy to discover. As the minutes went on, Touya still hadn't returned from washing his hands. She could think of only one reason for this. Smiling, she knew it was her turn to do some distracting.

She walked towards the group of her former students and asked them if they would like some dessert. She asked the girls if they would help her prepare it. Of course the guys would go anywhere the food it. Only Syaoran was the one that watched both Kaho and Eriol suspiciously, but he followed Sakura for dessert as well. Probably thinking that as long as they didn't cause trouble, it was fine.

Tomoyo was about to join them, but Eriol stopped her and whispered into her ear, "He's probably at the restaurant's alfresco."

"How do you-"

But when she saw that familiar knowing smile of his, she stopped and instead smiled back. She knew she probably should have known that Eriol would notice something. Or at least did a better job at hiding it. It was strange. She thought she had been a splendid actress. "I think I need some fresh air," she finally told her guests. Her guests nodded and went to help with the preparation. Tomoyo forced herself to walk normally and not be tempted to run to the alfresco.

Eriol smiled again. They just a little shove.

Meanwhile, Fujitaka and Sonomi were busy talking with a few members of the Li Family. Only Syaoran's sisters and a couple of the Elder Li family members could come. His mother was much too busy in Hong Kong. Tomoyo had wanted to invite them because she thought Syaoran might miss his family- but also because she wanted to see Syaoran being teased by his sisters and catch it in video.

When the elders saw the gift from Touya for Tomoyo, they looked a surprised and then curious. "Your son gave her that?" They asked quietly to Fujitaka.

A bit confused by the question, he nodded. Did they object? Fujitaka had personally thought the gift was beautiful and Tomoyo looked very happy with it. "Yes. My son, Touya. He sat beside me earlier."

The elders nodded thoughtfully, to only further confuse both Sonomi and Fujitaka. "Why do you ask?" Sonomi asked. She also thought the gift was lovely.

They just continued to talk amongst themselves and ignore the confusion they were causing for their hosts. "He did look like he is of age. She, however, is still a flower. It isn't sure they still practice it nowadays."

Sonomi was getting annoyed. She did not like it when people talk about something she doesn't understand. "Would you please stop talking amongst yourself and tell us what you are talking about. What do you mean he is of age? Of age to what?"

"To get married of course."

"Married? Touya? To who?" Fujitaka and Sonomi chorused.

Now it was the elders' turn to look confused. They turned to Sonomi and continued, "Isn't he getting married to your daughter?"

* * *

Tomoyo reached the restaurant. It was almost empty except for a couple at the bar and a few waiters cleaning up. Just as Eriol said, she fund Touya watching the sky from the alfresco. It was a starless night, so she was curious what he found so interesting. Touya turned around when he heard the door open. He was surprised to see Tomoyo. He'd thought she would stay with her guests a little longer.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked, smiling softly.

He returned her smile and shook his head. "No."

She walked closer and it was only then that she noticed the glass of wine on the table near him. Again, it reminded her of their huge age gap. It was legal already for him to drink, yet she won't be for many, many years. Tomoyo wasn't used to the feeling of insecurity, but she had a taste of it now thinking that she is at a great disadvantage with her young age. She unconsciously shivered, not from the cold- she could not really explain what.

Touya noticed and wondered if it was from that cold. Without hesitation, he took off the jacket of his suit and draped it around her shoulders. It was just like that night at his apartment. It looked a little funny because the shoulders really were much too big, but Tomoyo didn't care. She found herself touched by his show of kindness. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that she was special to him, knowing that she wasn't… not really.

She closed her eyes. The jacket smelled like him… and was very warm.

She wanted to say thank you, but she knew that if she did that was all she was going to say. "There aren't any stars tonight," she commented after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah, but it was always pretty hard to see them with all the lights of the city." He picked up his glass and took another sip of wine. "I thought you'd want to stay with your guests."

"I needed some air," she lied. "And… I really wanted to thank you personally." She self-consciously touched her hair. "This comb is very beautiful. I love it."

"I'm glad you like it." Now leaning against the table. If she was happy, then so was he. But the memory of watching the young magician combing her hair brought his dark mood back. "You and that brat look pretty close."

"Who? Syaoran?"

Touya shook his head. "The brat with glasses."

It was rather strange to hear someone call Eriol a brat, but she figured that it was because he had not yet really forgiven Eriol for causing trouble for Sakura. "Eriol?" When he didn't reply, she giggled and nodded. "You could say that. We've been working together on songs for many years and he really is a kind person. But we're really just friends. He is happy with the life he has now."

Even with Tomoyo's reassurance, Touya still didn't trust him. There was something about that kid that made him doubt his motives for his actions. And that smile he threw him earlier. It was challenging him but he could only grind his teeth. He already had Kaho, the bastard, why doesn't he leave Tomoyo alone?

Maybe he was old fashioned, but he didn't like Eriol touching her hair or any part of her for that matter.

They began talking about music. She also asked about the music pieces from his mother. She admitted that she didn't feel right taking them. He told her that they were hers and they weren't taking them back. They continued to argue about it and after a few moments, nostalgia hit him again. They used to argue this way before. He suddenly became quiet again and looked up at the dark sky again.

"It still hurts, doesn't it?"

Touya wasn't sure how to respond to that. She always spoke like she really could understand him. He had heard others say the same thing, but did not have Tomoyo's sincerity when she said it. He smiled. It was not hard to believe that she did. "You know it does, Daidouji," he admitted, but shrugged trying not to look as affected than he felt. But he never really could act that well, so he knew from the worried look she was giving him that she wasn't convinced.

Much to his surprise, she took his hand and held it in hers with her eyes on him unmoving. "I pray that your heart will become at ease soon," she whispered in that achingly soft voice of hers.

He didn't say anything, just averted his face because he didn't know what to say when she was looking at him those soft eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Then why do you not look at me?"

Because if he did, it would complicate things. She was not a twelve year old girl anymore and she is an extremely beautiful girl. "You should go back inside, Daidouji."

"Please, call me Tomoyo. Aren't we close enough now for you to call me that?" she teased. When he still wouldn't look at her, she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. "Touya? Touya-nii? Please? Look at me?"

He didn't know what made him do it, but he did. He looked down to look at her. He saw her delicate frame, clear eyes, beautiful face and skin as clear as alabaster. '_What was it about Tomoyo Daidouji?' _ He thought as he reached out to touch her face. _'Did he_ _like her?'_ It couldn't be that. If he did, why did it feel so wrong?

Liking someone he shouldn't had never bothered him before…

"Touya?"

Maybe it was the soft whisper of his name. Whatever it was, it was his undoing. Ever so slowly, he took her face in his hands and leaned down, watching Tomoyo close her eyes with her hands shaking at her sides. He was crazy. He knew it. She probably knew it too. Neither cared.

Touya had done a very, very stupid thing.

_He kissed her._

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Tsubame:** It is funny, but I am actually an ExT fan, but I didn't have a lot of trouble writing scenes of Kaho and Eriol. To be honest, I thought I was going to struggle. But I struggled more with the shop scene than with Eriol and Kaho. I don't want to make their relationship obvious. I myself am not sure what their relationship is. Touya sometimes reminds me of Kurogane, so the last scene was inspired by the scene in the TRC manga where Tomoyo had snuck out of the party to see Kurogane with… a difference in the ending of course.

I am sure you are all wondering what Kobato and Fujimoto are doing here. I thought it would be interesting. And it seemed to fit into the story pretty easily. Or maybe not, but with all CLAMP's crossovering I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Kobato and Fujimoto in the Card Captor Sakura World.

**Jeweled comb-** The giving of a jeweled comb in some countries in Asia is a proposal of marriage. In Japan, it suggests intimacy. Hair is a very important symbol in Japan. When a woman lets down her hair in front of a man, it suggests they are very close. I did not know this the last chapter when I wrote that scene with Touya helping Tomoyo with him helping her with her head dress. In Japan, that is a very intimate gesture.

Hair has a very important meaning in Japan. In Japan before, a girl with loose hair is the same as being naked. Buying a hair ornament for her is like clothing her. That is why women before only let their hair loose with their partners. Of course Japan doesn't really practice this anymore. But this is pretty good trivia?

**Drinking Age**- In Japan, the legal age for drinking and smoking is twenty-one years old I think. Funnily, I think the TRC Tomoyo Daidouji drinks but it is possible that she is a bit older than she looks there.

**Reviewers:**

**James Birdsong: **

Thanks! :D

**JonBob: **

Thank you for reading it. I think the grammar problem is my fault. After I finish a chapter, I post it immediately. I don't really take time to correct them. But I am always so worried about being late.

I am glad you like the flow and pacing. These were the most difficult to write. I worry about going too fast or too slow.

**Avanthika: **

Thank you! I am glad you like it!

**Rose Jane Cullen:**

Thank you! I am honestly very flattered. I can't say a lot about other authors, because I can honestly say that I haven't read many Touya and Tomoyo fics. But I am glad you like it and find it the charm in the slowness. :D

Being an ExT fan, I think that Eriol and Tomoyo at least will always remain friends. It doesn't necessarily have to be romantically but maybe quiet understanding of the other. I find that better than falling love at first sight with someone before getting to know them. Maybe because I like to think practically? xD Who knows?

**Ellabell:**

I will try! :D

**Aideen:**

I will try, but I am not sure. I am very very sloooooww… I make second round edits when I am not satisfied and it doubles the time. D:

**Spoiler: **

**:Chapter 5:**

_~Seventeen Years Old: Crystal Castles_


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes: **The second to the last chapter! I think I wrote before that I was only going to make six chapters. I feel sad to be honest. I can't believe it is almost over. I started with the concept the same time as Nightingale, and the setting for this was supposed to be sometime before the Restoration period, hence the mention of samurais. But it required a lot of research and I just didn't have a lot of time for that. It is really too bad. It would have been a very fun project. Maybe when I have time in the future…or not. I really don't want to work on anything else new. I really want to retire from fanfiction at least for a while and concentrate on working on something original.

This chapter has new cameos. Guess who they are!

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Disclaimer:** The World you are about to Enter is Completely fictional. The characters belong to the Manga group, CLAMP. Any events or characters resembling real people is purely coincidental… or I am just psychic. :D

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**:Chapter V:**

**Seventeen Years Old: Crystal Castles**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_I want to feel your arms._

_But I stand behind this window of ice and snow,_

_In this castle where no sun warms;_

_Nor fire can breach. _

_Alone in this castle of frozen time,_

_Remembering the past and unable to wake._

_Reliving the time when you were mine,_

_And watching my tears join the frozen lake._

_Crystal castle, free me from your cold shadows._

_Let me reach for his hand and find what I lost._

_,_

_And deliver me from the ice and the frost._

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

"Tomoyo-san? Will you go out with me?"

At the question, Tomoyo froze, unable to give an immediate answer. Maybe she did see this coming. She had been walking home with Ryuuki Kanzaki for a month now, and it was not a secret that he found her attractive. He had told her once or twice before they started walking home together but had stopped saying it again when he noticed that it made her slightly uncomfortable. He started walking her home when Sakura started practicing late and started walking home with Syaoran, her over-protective boyfriend. Ryuuki offered to keep her company. He was wonderful company, so she couldn't say no that time.

Tomoyo didn't know how, but she managed to find the strength to start walking again but was quiet, not quite sure what to say. She had no reason to say no, but neither did she feel right about saying yes. They became instant friends at the beginning of the school year when he was given the seat behind her. He jokingly called her his savior when she lent him a pen when his ran out of ink during an exam. Ever since then, he would help himself to her pencil case any time he wanted.

Ryuuki was quite handsome. He was tall with his dark hair and eyes. He was also popular at their highschool, being part of the basketball varsity team. Syaoran and him were sort of friends as well. Not close friends, but they did seem to get along and played one on one basketball after class sometimes. A lot of the girls in her class never tire of telling her how lucky she was to be close to him.

And- Ryuuki was not afraid to tell her he liked her. She liked him too, she really did… but as a friend. And she knew that she would never look at him beyond that.

It was easy enough to see his physical resemblance to Touya Kinomoto, but the resemblance stopped there. Touya rarely smiled, while Ryuuki never seemed to stop smiling. Touya never seemed to be interested in joining the varsity teams, while Ryuuki had trouble choosing between soccer, basketball or baseball. Touya was responsible and always had a look of a person who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ryuuki was carefree and fun-loving. Sakura sort of saw the physical resemblance too and was worried the closer they became. At the same time, she knew that she couldn't really say anything when she partly felt responsible for what her bestfriend was feeling.

At her silence, Ryuuki's confidence began to dwindle. It took him weeks to gather up the courage to ask this. It was crazy how nervous she made him. It wasn't because she was rich or that she was popular. It was that pretty smile of hers that made guys melt. It was so child-like and knowing. An odd combination. "What's wrong, Tomoyo? Do you… am I ugly?"

Ugly? She was surprised he would think that.

No. He was far from ugly.

"No, Ryuuki. You're a very attractive person."

"But?"

"But," she began, reaching for his hand and patting it in her usual friendly manner. "I am not sure if I am ready for a relationship." She lost count how many times she said this. Saying this to Ryuuki probably hurt a little more than before because she sincerely liked him and did not want to hurt him. It would be horrible if he started avoiding her because of this, but he deserved more than a half-hearted girlfriend.

He sighed, a part of him knowing she would say that. After all, he wasn't the first guy that she turned down. Maybe it was crazy to think he had a chance, but he didn't regret trying. "So, who is he?" Flashing her another of his carefree smiles, he shrugged and began tossing and dribbling his basketball around. He was trying not to look too bummed out by her rejection. It would make her blame herself and he didn't want that. It wasn't her fault he thought she was a great girl.

"Who?"

"This guy you are obviously waiting for."

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm not waiting for anyone, Ryuuki." At least she didn't think she was waiting. After all, she did know how pointless it was wait for Touya Kinomoto. "And besides, don't you see? I don't want to ruin the friendship we have now. Changing that… I'm not sure if I can. You're much too good of a friend to lose."

Ryuuki knew that was not something she said to a lot of guys, so he felt really good when she told him that. He ruffles her hair playfully, while she squealed pretending to be mad about his messing with her hair. It was a bit difficult to be really angry though. He was like an older brother she would never had. "Why weren't you born ugly and bitter, princess? Maybe then I would hate you."

She smiled, but didn't say anything knowing that he was only joking. When they arrived at her gate, he waved goodbye and left promising to walk her home tomorrow as well. The first thing she did was check her mailbox… something she did every day. Except for the usual bills and pamphlets, there was nothing interesting. She closed her eyes and sighed. Yet again, there was no letter from Touya. Not one postcard or even a note.

Was it silly? Was it silly of her to think he would write? Sakura told her that her brother was returning home. He had finished college and had his degree. The proud sister boasted he graduated with high honors. Tomoyo had smiled and told her that she was happy for him, hiding the fact that inside… she was feeling foolish to think she was special enough to him for him to tell her this. It wasn't Sakura's fault… but it hurt to hear about this from someone else.

It was funny that it been more than a year had passed since she had last seen him. She hadn't seen him since her birthday- and thinking about it still made her cheeks heat up. She had more than a year to think, but even now she did not know why he kissed her that night. It wasn't that she disliked it. In fact, for a long time she could think of little else. It was a foolish thought, but she thought it might mean she was a little bit special to him.

After leaving her school bag and blazer in the living room, Tomoyo decided to go for a walk at the park. Sakura had cheerleading practice and she didn't have choir practice, so it was one of the rare free afternoons for herself. Time alone was pleasant at times and she decided to take advantage of the afternoon to finish the latest song that Eriol sent her. It was certainly a strange melody, and it was a bit of a challenge to write lyrics to.

Lately Eriol had been writing to her that he was worried about her. He told her that her lyrics had become quite different the past year. They were words from someone whose heart had been broken and it showed. She had not known what to write back at first, so she told him nothing. But she knew that Eriol probably saw that she had dodged the topic. So she tried harder to put optimism into her lyrics, but it wasn't working. It increased her worry. Eriol was a sharp man and knew that he would be able to read her even if she had been on another planet. No amount of acting could hide her feelings from him.

At the park, Tomoyo was sitting on a bench; had a notebook on her lap, a pen on one hand and a half-eaten apple on the other. For a few minutes, she just scribbled on her notebook… almost furiously but often looked very unsatisfied before turning to another page. By the time Tomoyo finished her apple, she had used up ten pages already and did not look satisfied at all. No matter how much she tried, she could not write anything light-hearted at all. It felt forced and- quite honestly, it was. It wasn't like her at all to feel like this, and it bothered her.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

She looked up to find Rika, looking very lovely. It seemed she changed after school because she was wearing a cheerful yellow sundress. However, her friend looked very worried as she neared, stopping in front of her before giving a wan smile before putting a hand on her forehead. "Are you alright?"

It was so strange how easily and naturally Rika molded into motherly role. "I am. I was just busy with this new song." Tomoyo smiled an awkward smile embarrassed by the messy notes all over the paper. "I am not doing too well at the moment. I can't seem to write as easily as I used to." She sighed, before staring forlornly at her notebook again. "I wonder what happened to me."

Rika took the seat beside her. She did have somewhere she must go, but she knew that she could spare a few minutes for a friend. "May I see that, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo nodded and gave the notebook to her and watched as her friend turned page after page. Usually, she was confident of her writing but this was one time she could say that she was not. "Are you sure this is how you feel?" Rika whispered, her eyes still on a page.

Nibbling on her lip, Tomoyo shook her head honestly. But she didn't know if she should tell her about her feelings when she was not finished sorting them out herself. "No, it isn't. But if I did that, I'll just end up worrying Eriol."

Rika giggled and carefully placed the notebook on the bench. "He's going to worry anyway," she pointed out. "So, might as well be true, and write your true feelings. Those feelings… will bring a beautiful song. That is your magic, Tomoyo. You write most beautifully when you're true."

Tomoyo thought about it, but she still wasn't sure. So she closed her eyes and kept humming the melody of the song.

"Why not write about Ryuuki?"

"Ryuuki?"

"I heard the two of you have been very close lately."

"We're just friends," she told her, sadly. And it was the truth. She admitted to her that she wasn't sure if she could ever see him as someone more. "I like him. He's a really great guy. The girl who will be with him is going to be a lucky girl."

"But he's not the one you like?"

Slowly, Tomoyo nodded. She never told Rika who she liked, but it never seemed to matter. Rika gave her the most useful advice. She never told Sakura either, but she had a feeling that she could guess. But still she always acted like she didn't know what she meant. "It's… another unrequited love. Rika, maybe I am not meant for love…"

Rika gave her friend a comforting smile and cupped her face in her hand. Her friend was hurting, and she was sorry that she could not heal it. But she knew Tomoyo was strong and someday her broken heart will heal. For now, this was all she could do. "You are. You just need time. We don't know what Life will bring us tomorrow, Tomoyo-chan. Each tomorrow brings new hope. Do you remember the movie about an elderly man reading from a notebook to his elderly wife? She suffered from Alzheimer's, so he read patiently to her every day for even a moment of recognition. And that is all you need… time and patience. Even if that hope is brief, it is sweet and makes all the pain worth it. Maybe tomorrow you are lucky… or not. We don't know what tomorrow brings, and with each tomorrow there is hope. Happiness is a fickle thing. One moment you're happy and the next, you aren't. But isn't one moment of happiness better than none at all?" After that, Rika stood up, knowing that it was probably the right time to leave. Tomoyo will need time to think alone. "I will see you at school tomorrow, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo smiled. She had always been used to being the one giving the advice. It felt slightly strange to be at the receiving end. "Alright… and thank you, Rika."

Rika said nothing. Just another smile and she walked away. Tomoyo watched her as she did. For a long time, she knew that Rika had someone she loved and she suspected who it might be. She was happy for her friend, because the one she loved clearly loved her too. She was envious of that… when the one she couldn't stop thinking about didn't send her even one letter. Or tell her that he was coming back.

She stared at the piece of paper, and then inspiration suddenly hit her. She began to write. Rika was right. It wasn't going to be a cheerful ballad but it was what she felt. The songwriter smiled as the song she named, Crystal Castles began to take life. It was getting dark by the time Tomoyo realized that it was getting late. There was also the matter of giving Sakura a call before she went to bed. As her bestfriend, she knew that she would want to hear about what happened with Ryuuki from her and not from someone else.

As soon as she entered her home, the Head Maid told her that she got a call from Miss Sakura Kinomoto. She requested that she returned the call as soon as she was able. Giving the maid a quick 'thank you' she went immediately to her room to return the call. Much to her amusement, Sakura picked up the phone just after the third ring. Sakura sounded oddly frantic, but Tomoyo thought that it may be from running after Kero-chan again.

"Tomoyo-chan? I have to tell you something! You are never going to believe this!" Sakura told her, from sounding frantic to just worried.

"I have to tell you something too."

"Really? What is it?"

Shaking her head, she insisted to her bestfriend that she could go first. "I will tell you later. You go first. It sounds like you are dying to tell me." Some may call it delaying the inevitable, but Tomoyo was still not so ready about talking about Ryuuki yet.

"Don't scream okay?"

Grinning, Tomoyo agreed to the request. "I promise." She didn't know what would surprise her more than a confession from Ryuuki.

"Okay." Sakura pauses and takes a long deep breath, telling herself inwardly that she could do this. But this was really going to shock Tomoyo. It had even shocked her.

"Tomoyo-chan, did you remember that Yamamoto-sensei goes on maternity leave next week?"

"Yes? Her baby girl is going to be born soon."

"Well- starting next week- Touya-nii is going to be our new substitute Chemistry teacher."

* * *

At that moment, Touya sneezed while he was in the middle of packing his suitcases. His friends, Kamui Shirou and his friend, Fuuma were helping him putting the bigger furniture down to storage. They were his classmates in Japanese History and two of the few people he could say he really got along with. Kamui reminded him a bit of Yukito, and not too surprisingly they became fast friends- but he suspected Fuuma bothered getting near him because of Kamui.

"Sounds like someone may be talking about you somewhere," Fuuma said with a teasing grin, carrying one of the boxes that contained his books. "I wonder what they are saying."

Touya ignored him and continued packing his clothes into his suitcase. He was used to Fuuma's sense of humor and learned that merely ignoring it was the best way to deal with it. Characters like Fuuma were characters he'd rather not tangle with. But if it were possible that someone was thinking about him, the only person he could think of who would do that was his sister if he finally got his telegram.

She may be a bit loud after reading that… and maybe a bit disbelieving. Touya could hardly believe it too. Was it coincidence or fate that his internship would coincidentally assign him to his sister's school. It meant returning Tomoeda. It was either him or Kamui. Yet, he couldn't do that Kamui. He needed to stay and take care of his younger sister. Being an older brother, Touya understood how important it was for him to stay. So Touya took the job.

But the painful memories weren't the only things that was preventing him from returning. He still hasn't been able to completely erase the memory of that kiss from his memory banks. Not that he really wanted to, but memories of her in her elementary school uniform and looking young and untouchable in her kimono at Tanabata. He hadn't forgiven himself at all. It was a stupid thing to do to kiss her that night.

He was sure that by now his sister had told Tomoyo that he was coming back. Would she still care? She was probably upset with him. He did kiss her without explanation and didn't even bother to send her a note or letter the past year. Touya didn't know if his excuse was acceptable. He didn't know what to say to her.

Kamui came to join them after finishing the packing in the kitchen. He asked Touya where he should put the boxes, but didn't receive a reply. Kamui frowned, noticing that his friend was deep in thought and appeared to have something bothering him. "Touya," he muttered, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Touya? Are you alright?"

"I just really can't believe I am going home."

"You never really talked much about Tomoeda before," Kamui muttered. He knew of Touya's hesitance to return to his home. "This may not be any of my business but, is there something or someone you are trying to avoid seeing there?"

Touya didn't reply and began avoiding looking into Kamui's eyes, knowing if he did the other boy would know the truth. There was no point in doing that though, because Kamui had read him as clearly as a book and just smiled.

"I see. It's like that. If that is it, I won't ask anymore." Kamui turned around, suddenly thinking that it may be a good time to fix some tea. "Whatever it is, I believe that it is not something you can keep avoiding, is it?"

Kamui was met with another silence and he went back into the kitchen to begin making that pot of tea.

Alone, Touya couldn't help but wonder what he should have done. He knew that he should have sent her a note or message. That kiss must have confused her and his avoiding her probably didn't help either. At the moment, he really wanted to just pick up the phone and tell her that she was coming back.

He had been trying to build up that courage for a while. There was a lot of things he wanted to tell her. For a while, he knew that he was in love with her. It was just a bit difficult to believe it because it wasn't long ago she was his little sister's little friend. She was a lady now, so he couldn't see her that way anymore.

After Yukito, he didn't know if he was ready to care for someone that deeply again.

To his surprise and breaking his internal debate, his phone rang. Thinking it was Sakura, he sighed because he was really not in the mood to talk to her at the moment but in the end he did pick it up after a few rings. She was the only one he could think of that would call him at that moment. "Hello?"

"You sounds well, Touya-nii."

He froze, but his heart began pumping faster at the sound of her voice. "Daidouji." he said, praying he didn't sound like he was squeaking.

It has been a year since he last saw her, but he still knew her voice.

"I am not bothering you, am I?" she asked nervously.

"No," he answered, leaning against the wall trying to make himself comfortable to keep his own nervousness from being evident in his voice. "I am glad you called. I've been planning to call you a while."

"Have you? Why didn't you?"

"I don't know."

Tomoyo became very quiet, but she was glad that Touya was at least honest with her. Then again, that was one of the things she liked about him. It was part of his sense of honor. "Sakura told me that you were returning to Tomoeda. Is it true?"

"Yeah. It is."

"Maybe I should practice calling you, 'sensei', then," she said laughingly.

"No. Please don't do that."

There was another long awkward silence.

Tomoyo took a deep breath and finally asked, "What should I call you, then?"

"Touya. At least when we are not student and teacher, I'd like you to call me that."

She sighed. It sounded like she was having a hard time trying to keep herself from crying. "Touya-nii, please don't confuse me like this. I like you. I like you a lot. I think you know that already."

"Yes, I know."

Another awkward silence.

"If you don't feel the same way, tell me now. Please, I beg of you-"

"Tomoyo, this is not the time to talk about this." From the corner of his eye, he could see Kamui and Fuuma spying on him from the kitchen. The last thing he needed was his two friends trying to get in touch with Tomoyo before he had the chance to.

"Yes...of course," she answered cheerfully.

It was a fake cheerfulness though. Touya could sense it, but he did not know what to say. He had never been very good with words and he didn't believe he ever will. "Tomoyo, I promise you- we will have this talk. But I don't want it over the phone. I want to see you before either of us say anything more."

"Touya." It came as almost a whisper. "Alright, but remember- I have been clear about_ my_ feelings. Please do the same for me?"

"Tomoyo..."

From the background, Touya could hear Sonomi's voice. Her mother was home. It seemed that there talk will really have to be put on hold. "I will see you soon, Touya-nii."

When he hanged up the phone, there was a loud whistle coming from the kitchen. Now that it was over, Fuuma didn't mind being caught eavesdropping despite Kamui's attempts to quiet down. "You looked serious. Who was that?"

Kamui blushed, feeling guilty for being caught. He had to admit that he had been curious about why Touya was so mysterious, but he never pushed him to talk even though they've been friends for three years. "We didn't mean to eavesdrop. We just couldn't help but hear it," he lied, feeling awkward. "Was that a friend from home?"

"Yes," Touya admitted, because that was all they were for now. He wanted to change that, but he had to admit that he was still a bit afraid to.

"And her name is Tomoyo? That's a really pretty name," Fuuma said with a teasing smile. It wasn't easy to get Touya Kinomoto to look unhinged. The guy was always composed and even when he forgot him homework one morning, he didn't panic. Just borrowed his bike and rode it back to his apartment and came back with just five minutes to spare.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Kamui assured him, carrying the tea with him as he joined them. "But I have to admit that I am rather curious about her. You never talked about her."

He shrugged. "There was really no reason to." And girls are a subject that he can't confidently say that he is comfortable with. "She is my sister's bestfriend. She has- always been like a little sister to me." What people didn't know was that he was not completely uninterested. He accompanied a female classmate to a function, but he couldn't seem to find anyone he would date seriously. Sometimes he wondered if he was scared, why else would he leave despite his strong attraction to Tomoyo?

So much for fearless samurai.

Fuuma began pouring the tea into the cups, trying to sound casual. Touya never did like it when they pried on his business. "It sounds like you really like her." Kamui has never really heard him talk to another girl that way. He was always polite and stoic. For a long time, he spoke that way to him and Fuuma as well _(and still did sometimes)_. The girl named, Tomoyo seemed different.

If you listen carefully enough, you'll detect a hint of concern and maybe a bit of longing. Admittedly, he wasn't sure about the longing part but it was still clear that this girl was very different. Maybe he wasn't lying. Maybe once upon a time she had been like a little sister to him. He doesn't really talk to her like she was a sister anymore.

"Just don't hurt the girl. If you don't like her, tell her," Fuuma told him, shrugging. "I'd feel sorry for the girl if you are just beating around the bush. Spare her the torture. She is probably kicking herself by now and thinks it's her fault that you don't like her."

"She's not like that," he defended. Tomoyo was much too strong to let something like this bother her.

"You know her better than we do, so I hope you know what you're doing. Who knows? She probably got herself a boyfriend while you were gone. I mean- if she's a pretty girl, she has no reason to wait for you, does she?"

"Are you almost done in the kitchen?" Kamui asked, trying to change the subject.

He would much rather prefer not to talk about her right now. Touya wanted to figure out what he wanted to do and felt by himself. Involving other people would sway his judgment and if it turns out to be a mistake, he would only blame himself later on.

"Yeah, we're done. You didn't have a lot of stuff in there anyway." He paused for a bit and mused. "I've seen you cook, so I know you can but you hardly seem to use your kitchen at all."

"I don't have a lot of time." It was true. He was working three jobs, studying and going to school. "You can have a few of those. My temporary apartment doesn't have a kitchen." With his temporary teaching job, he couldn't afford one with a kitchen yet. At least it had his own bath, so it wasn't so bad.

With a grin, Fuuma turned, "Don't mind if I-"

But Kamui stopped him by grabbing his arm and giving him a warning frown telling to stop teasing their friend. "No thank you, Touya. Maybe you will need them in your next apartment. Besides, you might also need them in case you decide to cook for your girlfriend or something." Kamui was only teasing but he was a little curious still about his feelings for the girl on the phone.

Touya grunted and walked away to finish up packing up the things in his bedroom. When he was gone, Kamui gave Fuuma a hit on the head. "Are you crazy? Why are you trying to upset him? You know very well that he doesn't want to go back! He is going back because -"

"…of you?" Fuuma grinned, while trying to soothe the bump on his head. "I didn't know you were so narcissistic, Kamui."

"What do you mean by that?"

Fuuma shrugged and didn't say anything more, just looked up the stairs where Touya had disappeared to. Fuuma understood. Despite all of Touya's protests and denials - a big part of him still wanted to return home. He was simply making Kamui an excuse to. The phone call only confirmed things. Touya had a reason to return and avoid Tomoeda but from the gentleness he showed to that caller, to return outweighed to avoid.

Upstairs, Touya began shifting through his old file cabinets. Packing. This was all too familiar to him. Not too long ago... Yukito had helped him pack up too. How long ago was that? Four years? Five?

Had it already been that long?

When he reached his room, he began looking through his book shelf. It was all that was left that he needed to pack. As he began tossing his books and files into the boxes by the door. Suddenly. He noticed something slip out one of the books and fell to the floor.

When he bent down to pick it up, recognition hit him.

_"Fox Rain."_ It was the ticket stub from Tomoyo's play. He had kept it. Not long after that night, they kissed under the stars. It was a chaste and sweet kiss. He could still taste the strawberry in her lips and smell the scent of lavender in her hair. For the first time, in many years he forgot propriety.

Very quickly, he slipped it into his back pocket. It would be a very, very bad idea to have Kamui and Fuuma see this. Especially Fuuma. He didn't need to give the guy more ammo to not stop teasing him until he got on that train. That was something he'd really prefer to avoid.

_"She probably got herself a boyfriend while you were gone. I mean- if she's a pretty girl, she has no reason to wait for you, does she?"_

One more week.

He will see _her_ again- in one more week.

The question was... what was he going to say?

* * *

Tomoyo was dreading class today, though her friends probably couldn't see it because she was still acting as calm as she always had been. She was still helping Sakura with their Math homework, talking with Rika about their report for Social Studies class later and finally smiling with Ryuuki as they talked about the movie they both watched over the weekend.

Ryuuki was making her laugh with the funny faces and expressions he was making as he talked about his favorite scenes in the movie. While Sakura was busy talking with her fellow members of the cheerleading squad, Syaoran watched Tomoyo and Ryuuki. It was not such an unusual sight. Ryuuki had told him a long time ago that he was interested in Daidouji. Today looked different. Daidouji's eyes told him that her heart wasn't even in the conversation.

As much as he wanted to pretend not to know why, he couldn't. Sakura told him about her brother's transfer as soon as her brother told her. It made his girlfriend nervous to tell her bestfriend about it. Ever since that night after Tomoyo's birthday, Tomoyo and Touya had been acting strange around each other. It was almost like they couldn't stand looking at each other.

But Syaoran couldn't miss that once in a while, they would give the other a longing look when they thought the other person wasn't looking. The Chinese boy had an idea of what was going on. Sakura did as well, but neither of them could really do anything about it. Tomoyo insisted that she was fine and that she was alright. Syaoran knew that she was only saying this because she didn't want to worry anyone. Except her silence was only making Sakura worry more.

Syaoran sighed, knowing it probably wouldn't be a good day despite the fact it should be because Hiiragizawa had to be absent today because of some problems with his immediate family. Probably Akizuki. Syaoran knew that he should probably mind his own business and let Ryuuki do this himself. He did try. No one could accuse him of not trying.

The Chinese boy warned Ryuuki long ago that she wouldn't be a very easy girl to catch. Ryuuki was pretty determined to still try though. He had to admire his friend's persistence. He was never good at showing that he was worried, but he really was now.

"Syaoran?"

He looked up to find his girlfriend looking at him. She was finished talking with the girls and now wanted to be by his side again. Ever since he returned very rarely were they apart for long when they were in school and they openly showed their affection for one another. His eyes softened as she neared him.

Sakura smiled, her eyes softening as well. But then she turned to look at the direction he was looking at before she arrived. At the sight of Tomoyo and Ryuuki together, she bit her lip nervously. She wasn't so sure what to make of it either. On the outside, Tomoyo-chan looked fine but she couldn't be...

...she could hear her breath shake a bit when she told her the news about her brother. Sakura didn't know what exactly happened between them but from Tomoyo's hurt eyes after her birthday party that night, she knew her stupid brother had done something epically stupid. Tomoyo only told him bits and pieces of her feelings that night, but from those bits and pieces... Sakura knew that Tomoyo had strong feelings for her stupid brother.

"Do you think she is alright?" Syaoran whispered, pulling her into his embrace.

Sakura instantly blushed, but didn't protest to his show of affection. She liked being with Syaoran like this. "I don't know... Tomoyo, I think really wants to... take care of this herself." And once Tomoyo decided on something, there was really nothing much they could do.

Syaoran pulled her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head. He was a lot taller than when they were kids. He felt a lot more worthy to be with her now that he felt like he could protect her. "Maybe we should let her for now. I'll-"

"I would appreciate it, Mister Li, if you did not show public display of affection in my class."

Syaoran's teeth began grinding together. That voice was only too recognizable. Hesitantly, he pulled his arms away from Sakura and turned to the owner of the voice who returned his look of utter dislike. "Yes, sensei," he answered almost mockingly.

At the voice, Tomoyo looked up and barely stopped herself from staring in complete shock. It was him. It was Touya walking through the door with his briefcase and lesson plan at hand. At the moment, he and Syaoran were staring at each other angrily before finally walking away to the front of the class. Their eyes met as he did and for a moment neither of them couldn't seem to move.

As she was about to smile, he blinked and simply walked pass her.

He had ignored.

Beside her, Ryuuki was watching her worriedly. Initially, he just wanted to make a joke about his resemblance to their teacher but seeing her downcast expression wiped the thought clear out of his mind. "Are you alright, Tomoyo-chan?" Ryuuki whispered, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," she whispered back reassuringly. "I think we should get back to our seats." She was glad that her voice wasn't shaking, or at least shaking as much as her hands were. Without looking at him, she returned to her seat before he could ask her again what was wrong. She didn't want to hear it, because if he asked - she wouldn't know what to answer him.

Ryuuki stood there for a moment, wondering what had just happened. One moment she was laughing with him, the next minute she looked like - she just broke her heart. He frowned at the thought and turned to the new teacher. Tomoyo only acted strangely when he came in. He was no genius, but his instincts told him that the teacher was involved with Tomoyo's strange change in behavior. Quietly, he returned to his seat behind her.

And if that wasn't enough, when she got to her seat, Tomoyo could hear her classmates giggling beside her. Their classes didn't often get such good-looking and young teachers.

_ "He's so cute,"_ the first girl sighed.

_ "I hope this is a permanent. Finally, someone hot in the faculty," _the second answered back, giggling.

Tomoyo ignored them. Her eyes only on the man that kissed her and broke her heart the same night.

Touya finished setting his notes and turned to his class, careful not to pay too much attention to his sister who was nervous about having her brother grade her papers, his sister's boyfriend who was glaring at him very openly - and most especially his little sister's pretty bestfriend who was currently watching him with a uncharacteristically blank expression.

It was childish of him he knew to ignore her just because he didn't like seeing her be friendly with another guy. He did not like her laughing with him and neither did he like the other boy whispering something in her ear.

Fuuma's words haunted him again.

_"She probably got herself a boyfriend while you were gone. I mean- if she's a pretty girl, she has no reason to wait for you, does she?"_

What he hated most about this was that he was right. She had no reason to wait for him and he had his chances.

Trying to distract himself, he began staring at the attendance sheet. "I'm going to start calling attendance. Say, present, if your name is called. Akiyama Chisa." He continued to read the names aloud in a carefully modulated voice. Making sure never to look up when it was Tomoyo's turn to be called. "Kanzaki Ryuuki."

"Here!" The boy Tomoyo was talking to called out, sounding every bit as annoyed as he looked.

So, his name was Kanzaki Ryuuki? Touya continued on until he finished. Once attendance was finished, he looked up to address his class again. "My name is Touya Kinomoto and I will be your substitute Chemistry teacher."

At the name_ 'Kinomoto',_ the students all turned to Sakura who began sinking in her chair in embarrassment. Silly as it was, she hoped no one would have to know that she was related to their teacher.

"Now, all of you get your books and turn to page 54. We will continue where Mrs. Yamamoto left off last week with the Periodic Table."

The class went on without much event. Touya taught and answered questions the class addressed him brilliantly. Even Syaoran hated to say it but Touya was a pretty good teacher. He was even good at dodging questions from the girls about having a girlfriend or dating anyone. The whole time, Tomoyo never said a word and just watched the class proceed. Once in a while she would look down at her notebook to take down notes. It was just a regular class.

Except they now had a young and good-looking teacher helping them review the periodic table.

It felt like forever before the last bell finally rang and it was time for the next class. "Miss Daidouji, I want to talk to you after class," he told her as the other students began to exit. Her expression revealed nothing, but she could feel her heart suddenly beating rapidly under her chest.

Ryuuki didn't like this idea. "I'll stay and wait for you, Tomoyo-chan."

But she smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, Ryuuki, it won't be necessary. This is probably about the Science Fair that Eriol and I will be participating in. You should go ahead... or else you'll be late for our next class."

With a sigh, he nodded but still not liking the idea of Tomoyo being alone with this man. Not after she gave that look earlier. "Don't take too long. I think Yukimura-sensei will be giving a quiz about last week's discussion." Hesitantly, he slipped out of the classroom and leaving Tomoyo and Touya completely alone.

"Did you need something, sensei?" she asked with her usual polite smile.

"I thought I told you to call me Touya when I am not your teacher," he reminded her.

"But you are my teacher," she retorted firmly. "Until Mrs. Yamamoto returns, you are my Chemistry teacher." She prayed. She prayed that he would stop confusing her like this. That he would tell her straight and not break her heart more than it already is.

Touya scratched his head tiredly. "I'm sorry I ignored you. Is that what you wanted to hear? I was being petty," he admitted. Silence followed, but Tomoyo slowly began to show a little emotion in her eyes. "He looks just like me- that boyfriend of yours."

"Is...is that so? I never...never noticed," she lied. "And he isn't my boyfriend."

Touya grinned at that. "Did you know that you stutter when you lie?" At that, her cheeks turned pink. Yet she said that he wasn't her boyfriend with conviction. He was glad to hear that he wasn't. Though, inside he probably already knew. She would have told that she was seeing someone, right? "Listen, Tomoyo... I'm sorry... about last year."

"Why did you kiss me?"

A pregnant pause followed. Touya looked away briefly, embarrassed that a student was making him blush this way. "I thought it was pretty obvious," he muttered. I don't make it a habit to kiss my little sister's friends."

She still didn't say anything.

"I thought it was obvious," he started. "I like you, Tomoyo. I know I shouldn't…. I wanted to tell you that myself and not - half-ass it over the phone." That and Fuuma was listening in. And there was no way he could make a confession with that bastard listening.

The girl just stared in disbelief for a few moments. Then much to both their surprise tears began to fall. Touya quickly pulled out his handkerchief and began wiping her tears. "Why? Why didn't you ever say- anything?" she said in between tears and hiccups. "I thought you hated me."

"Hate you?" Touya sounded genuinely shocked at that. Without thinking, he took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "How could I hate you? I don't kiss people I hate."

"Touya, I-"

Before she could continue someone bursts in through the door. Touya immediately pulled his hand back and tucked it in his pocket. The person who came in was Ryuuki and he didn't look too happy with the sight of fresh tears in her eyes and the comfy atmosphere they had. "Tomoyo-chan, are you crying? What did you do to her?" he demanded the teacher. It took every ounce of will power not to punch him until he was unconscious. Instead, he focused his attention on Tomoyo and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.

"Ryuuki, I'm sorry," she assured him, laughingly. "I'm just really happy."

He wasn't quite convinced. "Then, why are you crying?"

"Kinomoto-sensei was just telling me that I was chosen for the Science Fair." It was not exactly a lie. She was chosen and Mrs. Yamamoto had told her a few days ago, but so far only Sakura and Eriol knew. She could never hide anything to Sakura and Eriol was going to be her partner. "We should really go, Ryuuki. We'll be late. I'll just get my bag."

Ryuuki nodded to her, then throwing a suspicious look at Touya. "I will wait for you outside."

When Ryuuki was gone, Tomoyo ran to her seat to get her bag. As she was about to turn, she found Touya standing there behind her with a very serious look on his face. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that look.

"We'll continue this later," he whispered. It was not a question.

Slowly, she nodded and walked pass him to the door. She attempted to calm her heart as she exited. Ryuuki was there as he said and looked questioningly at her. There was something going on between her and their substitute teacher. Maybe some kind of history? The young man sighed and returned Tomoyo's smile with his own. "Come on, and congratulations on getting in the Science Fair. I know you two really worked hard to get picked."

Tomoyo nodded, fighting to not look so guilty. "I will call to tell Eriol later."

Ryuuki puts an arm her shoulder, disguising it as a friendly manner and together they walked to their next class. He began talking about the basketball varsity's next big game in a week and how psyched he was for it. Tomoyo smiled and without meaning to ended up staring at him, yet not seeing him at all. Much to her dismay, she was only seeing Touya... and Touya's rare smiles. She was grateful that Ryuuki didn't seem to notice the lack of attention she was giving the conversation.

...he may not notice, but that didn't mean she didn't feel terrible.

Touya watched her leave and gave a heavy sigh as she closed the door behind her. He finally told her and he just made her cry. Maybe this was a bad idea. He didn't deserve her. She should be going out with someone her own age, right? Like that friend of hers. Despite telling himself this, the thought of her being with another guy just made him sick to his stomach. Suddenly, he began to chuckle and back up towards the wall. It was a little funny that he used to date a teacher. Now that he was a teacher, he was now - attracted to a student.

Was this how Kaho felt when she was dating him?

This was a funny and ironic twist of fate. Never had he ever thought that he would end up dating his student. He could think of plenty of reasons why this was a bad idea. First she was his baby sister's bestfriend and second she was his student.

On his way to the faculty room, he bumps into his fellow teacher, Nana Hinamori. She taught Algebra and very popular with both students and other teachers. She started teaching not long ago too. Everyone in the school agreed that she was probably the best looking teacher in the faculty now. She had light brown hair cut in a stylish bob and big, kind, blue eyes.

It looked like she was also on her way to the faculty. When she saw him, her face broke into a bright smile. "Kinomoto-sensei, are you heading to the faculty room too?"

He nods and gives a polite nod. "I might go get something to eat first."

"Would you mind very much if I joined you?" she asked.

Touya didn't see why not. "Sure. I don't mind."

Nana blushed lightly and walked alongside him. It was a very known fact that Miss Hinamori had a big crush on Touya. Nobody really knew if Touya was aware of this crush or not. He never really showed any signs of knowing. Though he was polite and curt with her like he treated all of his colleagues. But there were already a lot of rumors springing up that they were actually keeping their relationship a secret. These rumors had been going around since she showed him around the school a few days prior.

"How was your first day, Kinomoto-sensei?" she asked, trying to avoid the awkward silence. She threw him a pretty and self-conscious smile. "I heard that your sister is in your class. That must feel very strange."

Touya shrugged. He had to admit that it felt a little strange, but that won't stop him from doing his job properly. That brat_ (Syaoran)_ just better know to keep his hands off her while he was in his class. "It's okay. I don't have test papers to grade yet." It was going to take most of his patience to not give the brat an _F_ on every quiz.

Miss Nana laughed. "Thinking about quizzes already on the first day? Don't you think that is a little harsh on them?"

He grinned a little. Touya never thought of that. Maybe it was. Then again, quizzes can help them bring up their grades. According to the book for grades that Yamamoto-sensei handed him, half the class was flunking. And he planned to reduce that number by 50% by the time Yamamoto-sensei returned.

After buying their coffee, they stepped outside because it was a nice weather to eat outdoors. At that moment, Tomoyo and Sakura's classmates gathered around the window when they spotted their handsome Chemistry teacher and pretty Algebra teacher together. Their teacher had an emergency and told them to study until he got back. "Look, look, everyone! Kinomoto-sensei and Hinamori-sensei are together."

Hearing Touya's name and the name of the pretty teacher mentioned, Tomoyo thought that her heart would just pop out of her chest.

"Do you really think they are dating like what rumors say?"

"Some people even say that Nana-sensei told Kinomoto-sensei about the opening here."

"He came here for her? How romantic!"

The girls continued to squeal and giggle about their teachers. Tomoyo remained silent, pretending not to care. The worried Sakura places a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and gave an encouraging smile. She may never understand what her friend saw in her mean onii-chan, but she was going to keep encouraging her anyway. "None of that is true. You know that, Tomoyo-chan."

The songstress nodded and returned the smile. She was jealous. Incredibly jealous, but she wasn't going to let something like that hurt her. She hadn't told her of her brother's confession yet and she didn't know if it was alright to. If word got out that Touya was going out with one of his students, it would be disastrous. "Sakura-chan, you haven't finished your English essay yet," she reminded her with a mischievous smile.

Sakura screamed and rushed to get her pen and paper to take advantage of the time to do their English essay before their next class in thirty minutes. Tomoyo giggled. Sakura meant well and she loved her for that.

Thanks to Sakura, Tomoyo was able to continue with the rest of the day with a smile on her face. Until the last bell rang. Sakura couldn't stay very long though. Unfortunately, she had cheerleading practice, so Tomoyo had no choice but to leave first. Choir didn't have practice that afternoon because their instructor had to judge a piano competition in another school.

The moment Sakura left, after giving a very long apology, one of Touya's students appeared at the door with a message. He said that Touya-sensei wanted to speak to her. Tomoyo nodded and told him that she would go in a few minutes, fighting to keep her heart's heartbeat calm.

She found him at his classroom still and he was reading his lesson plan with a serious look on his face. But there was something different about him. He was wearing reading glasses. It did make him look a little older and gave an aura of maturity. When he heard her enter, he looked up and gave a slow smile that sent Tomoyo's heart pounding. She felt rather silly.

_"I shouldn't be here,"_ she thought.

"Are you heading home?" he asked as he began putting away his notes and papers. When she nodded, he closed his bad and stood up. "I can take you home. My sister told me that she will be busy today, so you would have to go home alone."

A part of her felt horrible about not telling him that Ryuuki took her home in times like these. But… she wanted to go home walking by Touya's side. "Yes," she whispered with a slight smile. "Touya- niichan…"

"Touya."

"Tou…Touya," It still felt very very strange to call him that. She was sure she was probably blushing furiously. "Would you mind meeting mother? I am sure she would very much like to meet you after such a long time." They hadn't met since he left Tomoeda.

Touya smiled and began to finish up packing up his papers. Tomoyo excused herself and told him that she would meet him outside, telling him that she was going to speak to Ryuuki for a while. For a moment, Touya froze but slowly nodded. "I'll be out in a minute."

She quickly left to look for Ryuuki. It didn't take long to find him. He was with a couple of his basketball teammates by his locker, which was coincidentally beside her locker. When he saw her, his whole face brightened and waved. After a lot of ribbing, his teammates left. They knew of Ryuuki's huge crush of the singing princess. "Hey! Ready to go?"

"I'm so sorry, Ryuuki. I can't today - Kinomoto-sensei offered to walk me home and I am sure mother would really want to see him. They haven't seen each other in all the years he was away."

Ryuuki kept smiling, but inwardly his heart was crushed. "Tomoyo-san is unexpectedly cruel… despite knowing how I feel about her," he thought, unconsciously reaching out to touch her hair. In truth, he wanted to tell her not to go to him, to not to go to the other man that shared his face, but instead he said. "It's alright. There is always next time."

However well Ryuuki hid his feelings, Tomoyo could read them as well as any book. That was what made doing this so difficult. "I will see you tomorrow, Ryuuki." She then turned and ran to the direction of the exit. He figured that they were probably going to meet outside. He stayed there by the lockers for a minute, trying to think of something to do. He decided to join his friends at the school gym. He had been leaving practice early to walk Tomoyo home.

"I really am an idiot."

* * *

"Lately, I heard you've been very close to a female student, Kinomoto-sensei." Nana Hinamori told Touya. It has been a month since he began teaching and a month since he began seeing Tomoyo.

Touya's heart began beating wildly, afraid that this meant that they were caught. "What do you mean, Hinamori-sensei?" He asked, frowning deeply.

The female teacher stared at him, looking a little disappointed. "Maybe nothing. She is your little sister's bestfriend, so maybe it is nothing." Nana was still doubtful though. This teacher was spending more time with his student than he should. Maybe this was because she was jealous. She acknowledged that as a possibility because he never spent more time than necessary in school and just the occasional lunch. Yet he walked the lovely Tomoyo Daidouji home and sometimes had dinner with her and her mother. When she invited him to dinner, he said that he had test papers to correct. It was frustrating.

He gave one of his pokerfaced looks again before going back to eating his sandwich. Nana continued to watch him at the corner of her eye as she pretended to read her lesson plan. It was really bothering her. What was the relationship between the two? It was driving her crazy with jealousy and she didn't like it… because she knew she had no right to be. Nana wasn't used to not getting what she wants, and she couldn't help feeling like she lost to naïve little girl.

"Touya-sensei, if you're not busy tonight… I was wondering if you would have dinner with me?"

"I can't tonight. I have papers to check."

"I understand." It was the same excuse every time after all. Did he give his students a quiz everyday just so that he could have an excuse ready? "I don't understand you," she muttered without thinking.

Much to her horror, Touya heard. "What do you mean by that?"

Nana bit her lip and looked away. "I apologize. I had no right to say something like that."

"Then why did you?"

For the first time since she took the job of teacher in the school, Nana frowned deeply. "Please don't act like you don't know. I made it - very clear that I like you, Kinomoto-sensei. I want to date you and … I'm sure if you only gave me a chance you could really like me a lot too." She then softened and reached out for Touya's hand over the table. "Please. I don't know what is going on but - dating your student will only be trouble. I can make you much happier, Touya."

Touya didn't say a word for what felt like forever to Nana. She knew that this was an unwise action. Instead of loving her - this could quite possibly make him hate her. Her stupid jealousy… It made her feel ashamed of herself because she had never acted this immaturely over a guy before. Then again - she never had this much trouble getting a guy before.

"You're probably right," he answered shrugging. "It would be so much easier just being with you." Much to Nana's surprise though Touya stood up and gathered his notes. She knew that after this she would never have another chance to talk to him again. She actually had to fight to keep her tears in check. "But I can't. You're a great girl, Hinamori-sensei." As he placed his hand on her shoulder, he could feel her shoulders shaking under his touch. "But I know you know that I don't feel anything for you like that."

Her hand was shaking as well he later finds out as she puts a hand on his. "What I don't understand is … why? Why am I not good enough?"

"It isn't that you're not good enough. I just can't imagine being with anyone but with her."

He didn't really say it plainly - but it was clear that there was someone else in his life. It was also possible that this person would be someone he must keep secret. She could guess who that person is and it made her want to break into tears then and there. Why? Why couldn't it be her?

Touya didn't want to do this. Part of him blamed himself for not preventing this. He also felt guilty that he couldn't be more honest with her. Maybe then she wouldn't be hurt like this.

Without realizing it, he passed by the classroom where Tomoyo and Sakura were currently enjoying their lunch break. Syaoran and Sakura were arguing about something - but from the way they were holding on to one another's hand it was nothing a kiss won't fix. Though, Touya would probably kill Syaoran if he did that.

Tomoyo looked up and saw him watching them through the door. Quietly, she left the couple to argue about the correct answer for the mock quiz they had this morning. She knew they wouldn't even notice judging by the way they were heatedly staring at each other. "Kinomoto-sensei? Did you need something?" she whispered.

"N-no. I was just passing through. I was on my way to the faculty."

"O-oh, I see." She was horrified with herself when she sounded so disappointed. "Will you still be joining mother and me for dinner tonight?"

He hesitated before answering. After what had just happened with Nana Hinamori it was best they kept their distance for a while. "I can't," he told her. "I have a lot of test papers to check. Could you give your mom my apologies? I promise I will make it next time."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She sounded very disappointed again. "There will be next time I suppose."

He nodded and waved goodbye before moving on. Tomoyo watched him leave with a heartbroken look on her face. Ryuuki who was watching the interaction walked to her side when the teacher finally left. "Don't look like that," he whispered putting an arm around her shoulders. "…or someone else will know."

Tomoyo froze. "Know what?" she asked quietly.

"That you are in love with out Chemistry teacher."

At that, Tomoyo blushed furiously. "Am I that obvious?"

Ryuuki grinned. "Actually, no. You managed to hide it pretty well until now." But, he had always been watching her so for him it was obvious. Heartbreakingly obvious. It hurt to see that she was in love with a guy that shared his similar looks. He frowned because while he was trying to look like he didn't care, what he really wanted to do was to shake her and ask, _"What did he have that I didn't?"_ Instead, he muttered, "Come on. Class is about to start - and it looks like those two are done."

Turning to Syaoran and Sakura, the couple was already smiling now and moving to return to their seats with their hands clasped together. Tomoyo fought a smile knowing that they probably already forgot what they were arguing about.

After classes that day, Tomoyo realized that she might have to walk home alone. It saddened her because she had honestly become very used to walking home with Touya. When did she become so dependent and aware of Touya?

"Alone?"

She turned in time to see Ryuuki walking up behind her. Ryuuki was smiling and carrying his baseball bat behind him. "I can walk you home. It is on the way to the batting range anyway." Before she could decline, he picks up her school bag a walks out the door. Tomoyo had no choice but to follow him and at the same time relieved that she didn't have to walk home alone.

The walk home was an awkward and quiet one though. They hadn't walked home together since Touya began walking her home. And knowing his feelings for her, it made her feel nervous wondering how he must be feeling at the moment. Suddenly, she began to miss the short and carefree talks and discussions they used to have in their walks home. Ryuuki made the simplest of topics seem like the most interesting thing in the world. It was difficult not to miss his enthusiasm. Even though she doesn't really understand it, she even missed his praising _(fanboying)_ over AKB48. Though she wasn't really certain how she feels about his insistence that one of the members looked like her.

The nearer they got to the Daidouji home, the more uneasy and nervous he seemed. There was clearly still something he wanted to say. Watching his uneasiness made her a little uneasy. It took her by surprise when he suddenly stopped and grabbed her arms. "Tomoyo, I really need to talk to you. Be honest. Be really honest. Are you really happy like this?"

Tomoyo didn't move and couldn't say a word for a minute, she knew what he had wanted to ask before he even asked but she didn't want to answer him. She didn't want to have to lie to him. Slowly, she brought her hands to his face and smiled. "Yes. I am. This may not seem like much, but I am happy as long as I can be with him.

"But you deserve so much more."

"Please, Ryuuki," she begged her voice soft and pleading. "Please don't do this?" What could she tell him except she loved him? That she could bear anything that will come her way as long as he could stay with him. "I-I need to go inside now," she told him pulling her arms away. "Goodbye, Ryuuki."

"I'm not giving up," he told her with a wide grin stealing a kiss on her cheek before backing away and picking up the bat her dropped when he grabbed her wrists. He was hiding his disappointment very well. To be honest, he didn't have a lot of confidence that he could win against a teacher. The teacher was a man - and certainly more capable than he was. It was frustrating to know this. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded wondering how he does it. How does he always do this? How did he stay so carefree? Turning around, she opened the gate and went inside. Ryuuki waited until she was inside the doors of the Daidouji mansion before leaving as well. He knew he was probably going to get in trouble with the coach for being late again and everyone in the club was going to know why. Lately, he'd been coming to practice early ever since the Daidouji heiress began walking home with her cousin. They could only think of one reason he'd be late.

His mood lifted, he whistled as he walked away.

He never noticed someone standing behind the pillar watching them since they left the school. Touya had seen them since they left the school. As ridiculous as he felt, he followed them. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tomoyo. He just didn't trust the brat that claims to be her friend. Once he was gone, he looked up to Tomoyo's balcony, knowing that she always went there when she called him. As he predicted, she did escape to her balcony with a phone in her hands and began to call. Tomoyo was still wearing her school uniform, but her hair was down. It was in times like these when Tomoyo was unguarded that Touya believed that she was most beautiful. This was a rare sight to see when Tomoyo was in school and with her peers. Touya lets his phone ring three times before he picked it up. "Hello," he whispered watching her slowly smile at the sound of his voice.

"Still correcting papers?"

He smiled at that because he is far from correcting papers. In fact, those papers were on his desk back in his apartment. "It is a tiresome job. Are you mad?"

"I'm not. Maybe just a little disappointed," she admitted. Touya watched her expression as it became a little sad though it didn't show in her voice. Tomoyo wanted to avoid making him feel guilty. "As it is, we don't really get to spend a lot of time with each other."

Guilt washed over Touya. "Tomoyo, I want you to promise me something."

"Eh? What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that no matter what happens," he paused frowning as he remembered Nana's words. He was showing too much special attention to Tomoyo. It was becoming too obvious. How could he not soften when she looks at him with those big and understanding eyes of hers? Sometimes - it was hard to believe that she was a teenager. " You're going to trust me."

It was an odd request, but Tomoyo agreed. "I promise."

Touya was quiet for a while, just watching her on her balcony, looking confused and worried. "I love you," he said watching for her reaction.

Tomoyo's cheeks became as red as tomato and smiled. Hearing those words, never failed to make her smile or blush so much. She was only grateful that Touya wasn't able to see her in this state. Normally, she prided herself for remaining so calm. But Touya did things to her heart that made her unable to hold that calm. "I love you too."

From over the phone, Touya could hear her mother calling for her. He knew then that she bhad to go. "I will call you again later. Do your homework - and remember that we will be having a quiz on what we discussed this morning tomorrow."

This made Tomoyo laugh. Touya was really a teacher first. "I will and I promise to do well." There was another call from her mother, and then followed by a knock on the door. "I need to go."

"I know. Until later." With that, he cuts the line. He watched her rush back inside, probably to let her mother in and get ready for dinner.

He waited a few minutes before turning around and returning home. Guilt still plagued him. He knew what he had to do and it was going to hurt to have to do it, but if he loved Tomoyo - he was going to have to wait.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**Tsubame:**

Did you guess the movie Rika was talking about? She was talking about '_The Notebook' _from Nicholas Sparks. I love books from Nicholas Sparks and his works not only attract female readers but also male. My brother read one of his works and was really impressed.

If people read other TouyaxTomoyo fanfics, they will probably notice that a bit of the story is similar to the story written by L-chan. I liked that story though I forgot the title, unfortunately it was never finished and it really left me in despair. In fact, I think I started thinking about writing TouyaxTomoyo after reading that story. This chapter, you could say is a tribute to that story. Hopefully, this story won't suffer the same fate and will be left unfinished. That would kill me - especially when I am almost done! I admit that after this story, I still have two other stories waiting for me.

To be honest, I think I freaked myself out when I wrote that Ryuuki liked AKB48 - because he does have Touya's face. Imagine Touya fanboying about a girl group. I honestly can't. It is just weird. I am not really a fan of _AKB48 (except for Sayaka Akimoto)_ but I know they are very popular - especially to guys. I actually do not know if there is a member that looks like Tomoyo because I really do not know most of the members. But fanboys don't care?

If you like this story, I recommend that you read them. This is my attempt on historical and fantasy stories. It is a very difficult genre but interesting. So far, I have only released the prologue as a test. If people liked them, I would continue them and continue with writing my improvements on the prologues.

**Title:** _The Mage and the Tsukuyomi-no-kami_

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Eriol Hiiragizawa and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Summary:** She was the _Tsukuyomi-no-kami,_ untouchable. Eriol a wandering mage with nothing to return to. He always meant to leave, but something changed. He was now willing to risk all just to be with her. Love had a price and it is a hefty price indeed.

**Title: **_Fox Rain_

**Fandom:** Tsubasa Chronicles/Cardcaptor Sakura

**Characters: **Tomoyo Daidouji, Kurogane and Touya Kinomoto

**Summary:** They say that when it rains on a clear, the Kitsune is crying. Youou's village and mother needed rain. The villagers told him nine-tailed foxes don't exist. Even if they did, they eat men's livers. But, it does exist. It didn't take his liver. It took something else.

**Listening to:** My Girlfriend is a Gumiho Soundtrack

**Mood**: Tired

**Review Replies:**

James Birdsong- Thank you again! I hope you like this chapter too. Sorry or being slow~

JonBob- I was such in a hurry to post it. :( I didn't edit much. I want to keep the relationship between Kaho and Eriol open for interpretation. At the same time show the Kaho that I read from the manga. It was a little hard. XD And being an ExT fan I know what you mean~

Haha! Reaching the chapter again made me want to write it again! But at the same time I like this chapter. I just to improve how I wrote it probably.

Prilly55- I am a slow updater, sadly. :( But YAY! Some progress! Maybe...

skybluescramble- I love this pairing JUST AS MUCH as I love TomoyoxEriol. That is why I am having such a hard time deciding what to write. I love them both so much! Maybe not hiatus but very - very slow. TURTLE SLOW. SLOTH SLOW.

Yes. I thought that was something Kero would definitely do.

Aideen- Thank you so much! I did notice how little love this pairing gets. It makes me really happy that you are. And I am sorry for udating so late.

– Yes, this pairing gets very little love. I am so so glad you like the story!

Onceinbluemoon- Yay! I am glad you grew to love them!

GalanthaDreams- Awww~ Thank you! But I will definitely try!

**Spoiler: **

**:Chapter 6:**

_~Eighteen Years Old: Undress_


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** When She Grows Up in Beauty

**Author:** Tsubame Ongaku

**Fandom:** Cardcaptor Sakura

**Pairing:** Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to CLAMP.

**Summary:** Touya Kinomoto had the qualities of the legendary samurais. That is because he was a warrior. A fighter. From the tender age of 10, Tomoyo Daidouji understood and admired that about him. It was not difficult for that admiration to become like. But, he was a man. She was a girl. He didn't want to take advantage of a young girl. His honor wouldn't allow him. She was going to have to prove to him that she wasn't just a little girl. But, it is going to have to take time.

**Notes: **Wow! Wow! How long has it been since my last update? One year or so? Some of you probably already want to kill me. It can't be normal for someone to update the very last chapter after one year. I want to apologize for this. I spent this year working on my thesis. I tried my best to work on this fic at the same time but I ended up only finishing half of it. I only managed to finish the rest recently.

This is finally - the last chapter. I never thought I would ever get this far! Actually, I was worried … very worried that I would not make it past the fourth chapter. The original plan was to make this story only three chapters, but making it longer is not so bad. After this, more projects to come. Watch for them! It looks like my retirement will be extended after all. I want to finish my planned and unfinished fics before I do. If I don't, I don't think I will ever feel closure.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed every second of writing this. I have to say that I wish I could have made it a little better. Even I noticed that the later chapters were so rushed.

I am so so sorry I took so long finishing this chapter. I was doing my thesis proposal and it ate a lot of my brain power and time. Not to mention my sleep. LOL I mean it, I am sorry. I hope this chapter will make up for it. I hope.

**Warning:** Before I start, I want to remind readers of the rating. This chapter is why I rated this fic a T. There is nothing explicit. This is just a friendly warning.

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**When She Grows Up in Beauty**

**By Tsubame Ongaku**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

**:Chapter VI:**

**Eighteen Years Old: Undress**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

_The answers won't come to mind_  
_Though I want it so badly_  
_I can't seem to get it right_  
_Even though I dream about it all the time_

_These things I anticipate_  
_I strangle myself_  
_Isn't this what they want?_  
_Isn't this what I want ?_

_Undo and undress_  
_I curl up naked on my bed_  
_Close my eyes, feel my breath drawn into me_  
_Undo and undress_  
_I can feel happiness inside me_  
_it tickles my stomach_

**~Olivia Lufkin (Undress)**

§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§

It was still a little too surreal to believe but …

"Tomoyo-chan! Can you believe it? We will be graduating soon!" Sakura rejoiced, giving Syaoran a tight hug and oblivious to the deep blush that Syaoran gave at her nearness. Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo and Ryuuki were walking home from their graduation practice.

The brunette girl was amused and could only smile her usual sweet smile and nod. After so many years, Sakura could still make the Chinese young man blush. Tomoyo too was excited for the day they graduate - but maybe less excitable about it than Sakura. It wasn't Sakura's fault. It was because of the news she received that morning from the other girls at school.

Kinomoto-sensei was returning to school for the graduation.

A few days after that call he gave her while she was on the balcony, she was told that Touya had been transferred. _To a different school in Tomoeda_. The decision had shocked her. It shocked her even more that he had not even bothered to consult her about it.

Of course she confronted him about it. She believed that she deserved answers after all. Didn't they already decide that they try to be together? Didn't he already admit his clear attraction to her? What was happening? Why was he playing this game all over again?

Much to her annoyance, he had never given her a clear answer.

_ "Touya, when are you leaving?" She finally asked him after a while of trying to convince him to change his mind. Inside, she was furious but she was much too proud to let him see that. "Or are you going to deny me that as well."_

_ He winced, not bothering to hide his notes. They contained the last few lessons he had to teach their class before he left. He had forgotten that he had given her a key to his place. "In two weeks."_

_"Why didn't you talk to me first?"_

_ "Was there … any reason to?"_

_ "I thought … you at least cared for me."_

_ She looked so forlorn that it almost tempted him to take her in his arms. "I do. That is why I'm doing this. Because I care about you too much. You are the school's best student and you have a bright future ahead of you. I can't jeopardize that."_

_ "That's a lie. You're just scared. You're doing this … for yourself. Don't lie to me by saying that you're doing this for me."_

_ "I'm not lying."_

_ "You are!" she raised her voice. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be leaving me."_

If he had said anything more after that, she hadn't listened. She just threw the key he gave her and ran out the door.

For weeks after he left, Tomoyo - pretended to be fine and had a fake smile on her face. Ryuuki never left her side and always watching her.

Even Sakura and Syaoran had seen through her façade, but they knew nothing they would say could help. They know her too well. She would simply smile and insist that she was fine. But Tomoyo acted normal and didn't seem hurt at all.

In celebration, her mother was already preparing a graduation ball for the celebration despite Tomoyo's reassurance that it wasn't necessary. Her mother wouldn't have it and before she knew it, her dress, the decorations, catering was ready. Tomoyo knew better than to argue when her mother had decided something.

Once outside her gate, Ryuuki, Sakura and Syaoran said their goodbyes. "See you later, Tomoyo-chan! Ah - Touya-nii, said … that he might be coming too." Sakura still looked … a little worried as she said this. Would her friend be alright? Her brother never really told her why he had decided to leave the school so suddenly. Since his announcement, she pestered him constantly for a reason. He could quite possibly be more stubborn than her though, because he never told her no matter how much she tried to wheedle it out from him.

Tomoyo gave another of her gentlest smiles and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek. "I will be fine," she whispered as if she had read Sakura's thoughts. It made Sakura blush and Tomoyo almost giggled. It wasn't mind-reading at all … but the case of Sakura-chan being so easy to read. "I will see you at the graduation ceremony … all of you."

Much to Tomoyo's surprise, Syaoran gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder and a smile. He didn't say anything, but he didn't really need words to let her know what message he was trying to say. With that, he takes his girlfriend's hand begins walking away. He had a feeling that Daidouji would probably want to be alone after hearing that news.

Ryuuki gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Will you be okay by yourself, princess?"

Tomoyo gave a nod. "You should go too. Kana-chan will be wondering where you are. Tell her that I'd love to meet her after her handshake event next Saturday"

Their relationship had changed the past year. Ryuuki's obvious crush had changed into one of pure platonic affection, especially when he fell completely head over heels for his current girlfriend named, Kana, who was a member of a rising idol group. Kana was actually a fan of Tomyo's song writing and had begged Ryuuki for an introduction. Unable to refuse her anything, he quickly agreed. Tomoyo always found Ryuuki's silly actions when his girlfriend was anywhere in the vicinity very amusing.

He nodded and jogged away to join Syaoran and Sakura. Tomoyo stood and watched them walk away until they were finally out of view before entering the busy, but lonely mansion. There were a lot of servants running about to get ready for the party that was happening very soon. Her mother was still away for work but promised to be back for her graduation. Once in her room, she placed her bag and books on the table before she began to change into her something more comfortable for staying at home.

She didn't have to work on her homework until later, so she began browsing through her bookshelf for something to read. She picks out a book randomly from the shelf. It was a title she didn't remember purchasing. But she regrets it when she opened to the first page - and found a photo of Touya Kinomoto tucked between the first and second pages. Her hands shook as she picked it up. It was a photo of Touya playing basketball with Syaoran and Eriol one summer day before Yukito …

This was the book that Yukito wanted to leave in her possession. She never had the heart to read it. It reminded her too much of Yukito and the gentle smile that they would never see again. She remembered the day that he gave this to her. It was the day before he suddenly disappeared from their lives. He had came to her school after Touya left for one of his many part-time jobs.

He certainly looked healthy that day and showed no signs of how weak he actually was. He had called her the day before to tell her that he wanted to eat at a new coffee shop by the train station that was becoming quite famous for their cake, but Touya was unfortunately going to be too busy to take him there. So he called Tomoyo to join him. She was only too happy to accompany him. Sakura had cheerleading practice that day and she didn't feel like going home directly.

At first he seemed quite animated and talked about their new apartment and their new friends at the university. Much to her surprise, he began talking about Touya. It was really quite out of the blue.

_"Tomoyo-chan, could you … come to see Touya tomorrow?" He extended a book towards her. "Return this to him for me."_

It was an unusual request, but Tomoyo rarely denied Yukito anything. The thought of seeing Touya still made her strangely shy. Yuki smiled as he watched her shy smile, seemingly very aware of the emotions behind them.

The next day he was gone. No one had ever seen Touya cry before. Not even Sakura ever mentioned ever seeing her brother cry. But that day, she came to see Touya as promised … only to find a frozen Touya alone in the apartment with tears in his eyes. Touya had used her small shoulder to cry on that day. It broke her heart to see Touya so vulnerable … and for a moment found herself almost hating Yukito for bringing such tears to him. She never spoke about it with anyone, but she did continue to watch him. There were no more tears after that, but she knew that he wasn't as strong as he made himself appear to be.

… because if he was really as unaffected as he made himself appear to be then he wouldn't have left, right?

"Coward," Tomoyo whispered at the person on the photo. He was a coward that always ran away like a wounded puppy. Despite this, she still kissed the photograph gently before returning it into the pages. Not without noticing the writings on the back.

_Love him enough for both of us. -Yuki_

She wanted to tell him that he wouldn't let her. He wouldn't let her love her the way he should be loved and the way she wanted to love him. He was much too stubborn a man that always kept her waiting patiently for him and it wasn't fair.

"Tsukishiro-san, what if … I'm not the one who can make him happy?"

She finally does close the book and walked towards her desk and found the letter she received from Eriol yesterday. Because of her busy schedule she hadn't had much time to sit down and read it. Without much homework to do, she decided that this would be the perfect time to read it.

Eriol's handwriting was still in the perfect, elegant script that she remembered. It was so different from Touya's quick and straight to the point scribbles, though she found herself missing those funny scribbles more. Touya had left scribbles on her paper when he had still been their teacher.

Eriol wrote to tell her that he, Kaho, Nakuru and Spinel Sun will be in Tomoeda in time for their graduation. It was just a short note, and made no mention of Touya Kinomoto. He was wise to avoid that. Eriol could still remember her tears from when she called him after he had left again without a word to her. It was not the first time he'd heard her cry because of Kinomoto, but it never gets easier.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a cute, brown kitten that jumped on her bed. It was a present from Ryuuki. Unlike the many other presents that came before he met Kana, this one was one he gave as a token of their friendship. Ryuuki's sister had a cat that gave birth to five kittens. Tomoyo fell in love with the brown kitten with coffee-brown eyes. No one was surprised when she named it, Touya. Sakura would tease that it did look a lot like her brother. And just like her brother. He adored the two girls and snubbed Syaoran and treated him like he wasn't even there.

Touya the kitten was a good distraction for a while, especially when Touya had ran to her dresser and began spilling most of the contents over. She had to run to him to stop him for playing with her more expensive perfumes.

It was then that she caught sight of herself in the mirror. It reminded her how fast she was clearly growing up. Five years ago, she looked at the same mirror and she saw a little girl with wide and wise eyes. It was difficult to believe she was still looking at the same … girl.

She stared at her reflection like she was hypnotized. Her hair was still long, her eyes still wide and wise, but now she was taller and there was heartbreak in her eyes. What else about her changed?

Removing the outer layer of her dress, she stood in front of the mirror in just a thin dress and inspects her body. This was something she had never quite done before. Or thought of doing before. She wasn't only taller, she had developed a woman's body. Well-shaped breasts and waist ...

She was all grown up.

For many years, she had often dreamed that Touya would finally see her as a woman. Now that she was, she didn't know if the quick beating of her heart meant if she was excited or … dreading another rejection.

"Touya, do you think I'm beautiful?" The cat meowed. Not exactly the answer she was looking for. She found herself giggling anyway, feeling silly for talking to a feline.

She sighed, wondering if his namesake thought so. She would … probably know soon enough. However, he wasn't really sure if she was ready for it though. Looking away, she then curls up on her bed and gave a smile. There was no undoing anything anymore. Whatever happens from now on would be a beginning … or an end of this little obsession she has with Touya Kinomoto.

She closed her eyes and went to sleep …

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

Fate must really hate him or he had the most terrible timing in the world. It was probably mostly his fault. Maybe he should have knocked. It was a girl's room after all. Maybe it was because he was used to entering Sakura's room without needing to knock.

Touya signed and buried his face in his hands. He could make all the excuse he wanted, but it would not changed what he saw and the fact he actually stopped to watch. He didn't mean to, but he opened the door in time to see Tomoyo in front of the mirror inspecting her body with her beautifully curious eyes. He should have said something, then … and he knew he certainly should have said something when she began to remove clothing.

But he didn't.

His eyes never left her body. The body that was certainly belonging to a woman … and not the thirteen year old little girl's. What had he done? He was pining for his little sister's bestfriend.

He watched her dance and twirl in front of the mirror, the thin skirt flirting with him and teasing him with a generous view of her legs.

_"Touya, do you think I'm beautiful?" _she asked.

_"Yes!"_ he wanted to answer.

For one frightening moment, he thought she had seen him and was talking to him. When the cat mewed, it was then he realized that she was talking to the cat. When she curls up on her bed, he forced himself to turn away so he wouldn't stare at her long legs that were peeking from under her flowing skirt. He wanted to run his hands down her lovely back and undo the buttons of her dress.

His thoughts was interrupted by one of the maids. Probably curious why he looked like he was beating himself up. "Master, what are you doing here? Wasn't the Lady Tomoyo in her room?"

"She'd sleeping," he mumbled. He wanted to just leave it there. "I'll see her later. I'm here to see her mother anyway. She wanted to see me."

"Ah!" Feeling embarrassed to have forgotten something and then almost dropped the tray she was carrying. Touya was fast. He caught it even before it touched the floor. The maid's cheeks became very red. Touya was a very good-looking person, and it was embarrassing to make a mistake like this in front of him. "I'm so sorry, Master! Are you hurt?"

Touya shrugged. He was used to this kind of thing because of the numerous part-time jobs he took as a teenager. He hands her back the tray. "It's no problem."

Being so close to him, the maid was hypnotized at first. It took another moment before she remembered what she wanted to say. "Yes, the mistress did mention that she was expecting a guest. Would you like to wait in her office? She should be arriving from the airport in an hour."

He nods and allows himself to be the led into the office. Much like her daughter, Sonomi Daidouji seems to be a big fan of books. Surprisingly, many of them were books he had read before while he was in college. All recommended by his father.

Such a huge coincidence.

He wasn't really in the mood to read though. He was about to leave, so that he could maybe return in an hour, but found a huge framed photo of Tomoyo at the corner of the office. She was probably around sixteen years old there and still looked like a child-woman. But still quite beautiful. Something like this should be enough to remind him of the child she is, but instead … it only reminded him of the kiss.

Beside it was another photo of his mother. He recognized the photo as one of the photos she had while she was still modeling.

Once upon a time, he thought that his mother was the most beautiful person in the world. And he grew up thinking that Tomoyo would grow up looking like her. Now, it seemed different. Tomoyo the woman, didn't at all resemble Nadeshiko anymore to him. Nadeshiko was the forever child. Since Tomoyo was young, inside she was never a child.

It was probably his imagination, but as he stared at Tomoyo's photo it almost felt like she was looking right at him. It looked like she was waiting … for him. It always seemed like she was waiting, because he was always leaving and running away. Often making excuses and reassuring himself that his decision was for her own good too.

His excuse: She was not ready.

But the question was if it was she who wasn't ready or him?

He must have been staring at the photo for a long time, because the next thing he knew it the door of the office opened and Sonomi Daidouji entered. Despite the long flight and tiring job she is forced to do, she is still looking very beautiful and unfazed. He almost smiled, knowing that his father was probably the only person in the world that could ruffle her feathers without even trying.

"Ah, Touya, I'm glad you are still here." She drops her purse on her desk and sits on her desk. "I wanted to talk to you. I can't stay long. I'm sorry. I am supposed to meet your father at the university." She frowned when she says that. "I don't understand what that man is thinking."

This came as a surprise to him. His father never mentioned that he was meeting her this morning. Then again, he had been in a hurry when his father came to pick him up. There had only been enough time to pick up his his things and leave for the university. He was curious what it was about because he even took Kero-chan with him.

"He never mentioned you were meeting this morning."

She shrugged. "He said he wanted my opinion for a graduation present he wants to get for the Sakura, Tomoyo and that Li kid." Even now, she doesn't seem to like addressing Syaoran in his real name. "We don't have much time before the graduation."

"I won't take up too much of your time, then. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Sonomi seemed to have forgotten her irritation for his father and focused her attention on him. "Do you know my daughter is in love with you?"

He could swear he froze.

"Don't look so surprised. Did you think my daughter could really hide everything from me?" she smirked. "Not that she was trying very hard to hide it. I don't think even she is aware of it, but she certainly looks at you differently from others."

What was he supposed to say to that?

"I don't know what you are talking about. We are simply friends." Even as he says this, it sounded unconvincing even to him. And from the narrowed look that Sonomi was giving him, it was clear that she saw through his lie too.

"I have met many of my daughter's friends over the years. Including that boy, Ryuuki. He visits frequently, did you know that? He looks a little like you." Sonomi observes him. At first, she had thought that she looked at him that way because he looked a little like Sakura. Yet, Ryuuki had the same face but ...

Touya frowns very deeply at the mention of the name.

"Yet, she doesn't look at him the way she looks at you." And she saw the look she made when he left without warning. "I know that one of the reasons you felt you had to leave was because of me. Don't bother denying it. Even if I am not the whole reason, I know I am part of it." She probably made her nervous when they had dinner together and she ranted about a young man in the office wanting to date Tomoyo despite her being still in highschool.

"But she is graduating now, do you have any more reasons inside that bag of yours?"

"I don't need to respond to any of this."

"How much longer do you need to keep her waiting like this?!"

He frowned. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be more honest and actually be a man. Because right now, you are making excuses and acting like a _coward_."

Coward.

It was an odd coincidence, but he heard the same word being used by his father a year ago when he had first announced his transfer.

_"So that is your answer to every problem?" His father whispered, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "You're running away again."_

_ "I can't stay," he answered, putting more papers into his suitcase. "And I wouldn't exactly call it running away. I'm just being transferred to a different school."_

_ "A school where you don't see her everyday."_

_ Touya slammed his lesson plan on his desk and turned to his father in frustration. "What did you expect me to do? Marry her when she is barely an adult? Marry her like you did with mom?!"_

_ "If that is what it takes to make you both happy, then yes," Fujitaka said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "You're just going to make her cry more if you do this … again. You always … always seem to keep her waiting." He sighed and sat on his son's bed tiredly. He had been arguing with his son all morning. "I lied. I don't expect you to get married now … like your mother and I. If you aren't doing that yourself now, I understand that you are probably not ready yet to take that step. You are not … like me."_

_ "Father ..."_

_ Fujitaka stopped him and started towards the door to let his son finish preparing for his transfer. "Don't be a coward, son. Someday, she is going to stop waiting. I hope you don't regret this."_

He didn't know how long he sat quietly in front of her, but in that time Sonomi didn't say anything either.

But when he does look up, she was clearly angry. "You Kinomoto men! Why do you … all take away everything that is precious to me ..."

He didn't say anything, but he knew what she was talking about. Everyone knew how much Sonomi had loved his mother, Nadeshiko.

… and Tomoyo had never been the same since he left. Her baby wasn't a baby anymore. She was trying so hard to be an adult in everyone's eyes. She never allowed herself to need anyone. Always in a hurry to grow up, so that one day Touya may finally accept her.

"I know. I know that … but how do I know I am the person that can make her happy?"

"And you think you can make her happy by making her unhappy? You have such strange logic for such an intelligent young man."

He doesn't respond, but simply stands up and walks towards the door. Sonomi doesn't stop him. She knew that he probably felt that he had a lot of thinking to do. He only realized that he was holding his breath until he closed the door behind him. But that didn't mean his luck was improving. He saw her descending the flight of stairs with her eyes on him.

"Touya?"

She was awake.

He gulped, because she still wearing that thin dress. Much to his relief though, she was wearing a robe over it. It helped slightly, but it also made his imagination go into overdrive because he has seen what was under there. "Your mother wanted to see me about something. I thought you were asleep."

She wanted to ask how he knew that, but she didn't. "I couldn't sleep. I had a few things to think about," she admitted.

This was followed by another awkward silence.

They have a lot they wanted to tell the other, but they just didn't know where to start exactly. "I should go. My business with your mom is finished."

"Oh … what did she want?"

He was tempted to not reply and just get out of there as quick as possible. At the same time, he knew he couldn't that to her. "Hey, I was about to go for a walk. Do you want to come with me? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Naturally, she was very surprised by the offer. But she smiled and gave a nod. "Yes. I'd like that very much." She prayed that her smile didn't make her look too eager. She wanted him to think of her as an adult and not a lovestruck little girl.

Touya smiled and thought of how much he truly missed her and most especially that smile of hers. It was very sweet and trusting. Her lovely eyes filled with … love … but that's not all. They also show plenty of pain and disappointment. He didn't like seeing those in her eyes, and he also knew that it was his fault. "I'll wait for you outside. Why don't you go change into something more appropriate for going out?"

She blushed and nodded before racing up the stairs again. As she stared at the mirror when she finished changing to go out, she felt a little embarrassed of herself. What she saw in the reflection was the same look in her eyes as Sakura when she was getting ready for a date with Syaoran. She recognized it because she couldn't count how many times she teased Sakura for that look. It was strange to see it on herself.

Finding an outfit that satisfied her took much longer than she thought. She was almost worried he left without her, but much to her relief … he was still there waiting for her.

"I'm so sorry. Did I keep you waiting too long?"

He grinned at her and shrugged. "That's alright. I think it is about time that I do all the waiting."

She blushed when he says that and pretends not to know what he means. But they both know that they had been playing this dance for so long. That was all they often do. Pretend that there was no game or pretense between them.

"Is there any particular place you'd like to go?" she asked.

"There is someone I wanted to see. How is he? Miharu-kun?" Touya hadn't forgotten the young boy from Tomoyo's play … the boy who stopped to see if he and Syaoran were alright on the track.

"Why don't you ask him for yourself? I know exactly where to find him."

A half an hour later, they were at the cart racing track. When they arrived, a race was just about to start. Tomoyo's face lit up when she saw the number on one of the drivers' shirt and raced ahead to the spectator's area. "We're in luck, Touya. A race is starting." She waved to one of the drivers and called out a name, "Miharu! You can do it!"

The driver looked up and gave a salute, confirming that the driver with the number '7' on his back was indeed Miharu. Touya couldn't really be sure because his face was mostly hidden by his helmet.

The countdown starts and the drivers were getting into position. They weren't the only ones watching for the race to begin. Other fans and supporters were around to watch too. On particular girl caught Touya's attention though. She was unnaturally pretty for her age, with her wide eyes and short, dark hair. At a certain angle, she looks a lot like a young boy. If not for the pretty, yellow dress she was wearing … she could easily be a boy. But even in a dress, she still had the aura of a young tomboy.

And her eyes were on Miharu too. What brought his attention to her wasn't her prettiness but the fact that she wasn't cheering for Miharu like the rest of the girls watching the race though it was still obvious that she was here to watch him. This girl was just smiling quietly.

Touya turned away and continued to turn his attention to the race. Finally, the race was on. The race was close and it was causing Tomoyo a bit of worry. You couldn't tell from her face though, only from the tight grip she had on his hand. The sharp turns especially worried her, because she was squeezing my hand tightly.

At the last lap of the race, the clear winners were #7 and #3 for first place.

Tomoyo's grip became increasingly tighter with every every second. To reassure her, Touya draped an arm across her shoulder and leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Relax. He'll be alright." When he said that, she finally did relax and even smiled albeit still nervously. She leaned her head against my shoulder to probably find comfort from somewhere because she really was much too nervous.

That nervousness only disappeared when they finally reached the finish line... with #7 coming in first! Miharu removed his helmet and punches the air to celebrate his victory.

There were plenty of screams coming from the crowd. Tomoyo was simply smiling and nodded in approval to Miharu. Meanwhile, I observed the changes in the young boy. The first thing I noticed was that his hair was much longer now than in our first meeting and he was keeping it in a lazy ponytail. His energetic smile didn't seem to have changed though.

Much to my surprise, Tomoyo took my arm and began dragging me towards the direction of the locker rooms. Touya didn't think it was a good idea at first to bother the drivers in their lockers, but she was insistent. "I don't think we'll have a chance to talk to him here. Too many of his fans are here."

At the mention of fans, I remembered the girl again and wondered if she was a fan too. His question was answered when they reached the locker room and he saw the girl again there. She was sitting on a bench and seemed to having a light-hearted conversation with Miharu who was putting on his running shoes. At first glance, it was really strange seeing the two of them together. Miharu was extremely tall for his age and this girl was quite tiny. She looked like she might be around eleven or twelve years old.

Miharu looked up and saw them. His already smiling face lit up even more and stood up to greet them.

"I hope we weren't interrupting anything," Tomoyo told him apologetically.

The young boy shook his head. "Not at all. I was just telling Haruka-chan that I won because of talent and not luck." Miharu was tall for his age, but Touya was still much taller than him, so he was still looking up to him when he spoke. "I haven't seen you in a while, Touya-sempai. Which rock have you been hiding?"

Before he could reply though, he remembered the girl that was currently staring at them with curiosity in her eyes. "I have someone I should introduce to you both." He gestured for the young girl to come closer. Hesitantly, she does and gives a weak smile. "Miss Tomoyo, Touya-sempai, this it Haruka Shindou. Her father owns the track."

"It is nice to meet you," she said.

Much to their surprise. Her voice doesn't seem to match that very cute face of hers. Haruka's voice was deep and husky, not the kind of voice you'd usually find on a girl her age. It wasn't a bad voice, but it was definitely quite unusual. Touya nodded in greeting and Tomoyo gave a polite bow. "It is a real pleasure to meet you, Haruka. Please call me Tomoyo. Have the two of you been friends for long?"

"No, but I often came to see him on father's track."

Miharu gives her a playful pat on the head. "Her father introduced us a few weeks ago. Ever since then, I can't get rid of her."

"Hey!" Haruka frowned, trying to brush off his hand. "Stop it. I'm not a kid!"

Miharu laughed and turned around to talk to one of his fellow drivers, when he does it showed the #7 again. Haruka suddenly became very sad when she saw that number.

Tomoyo asked if Haruka would like to help her get drinks for everyone. Surprised but grateful for the excuse to escape, Haruka nodded and accompanied her to the nearest vending machine. Since most of the people were waiting outside the locker rooms for the drivers, the hall was mostly empty. It was the perfect place to talk.

Of course, Haruka was the first to speak. She had been wanting to speak to her since she saw her. "So, you're Miss Tomoyo? Miharu told me all about you." It was accompanied by a nervous smile. "Or at least how great you are."

"I am sure a lot of what he sais was purely exaggeration," she laughed. "But I have a feeling that it isn't the only thing you wish to talk about."

She nods, still very shyly. "Nana, who is she?" When Tomoyo doesn't give a reply, she continues. "The number 7 seems to important to him. Do you know why?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me?"

There was only one reason Tomoyo could think of. It could only be Erina. But it didn't seem right for her to be the one to tell about Miharu's past. "I think … it would be best if you asked Miharu yourself," she told her. "Haruka, do you … like Miharu?"

Haruka clearly wanted to argue, but she saw that Tomoyo really wasn't going to tell her anything. She gave up and sighed. "Yeah, I think so. Are you just going to tell me I am too young to be in love?! I am turning 13 in a few months!"

Tomoyo had to laugh. She then shook her head and answered, "No. Because I was about

your age when I first fell in love too, so I think I would be the last person to even think of it." It would be very difficult for Haruka though. Miharu was similar to Touya in some ways … it would definitely take time for him to look at Haruka as someone to love. Like Touya, he'd probably refuse to see her as someone more than a little sister.

"You were? With who?"

"I can't tell you who it is, but I can tell you what he is like," she began. "He has … a noble soul. A soul like a samurai … but at the same time stubborn at the same time. He always, always … tries his best to protect the ones he love even if it means hurting them."

Haruka smiled softly, glad that Tomoyo was someone who really seemed to understand her. Other people would have just dismissed her feelings as _puppy love. _"He sounds like a good guy."

"He is. But … he is taking too long. I am beginning to believe that maybe it is time for me to move on," she admitted. "I feel like a fool. I cannot continue waiting for him forever … hoping that … he would stop keeping me waiting like this."

"If you really, really love him … you shouldn't just give up!"

"I wish it were that easy, Haruka-chan." She takes a look at the time and knew that it was probably time to leave. The boys were probably wondering now what was taking them so long. "A part of me knows that I have to think of myself too." What were her plans after graduation? Sakura already knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be with Syaoran forever and Syaoran was just as eager to be with her forever.

As happy as she was for her bestfriend, she also envied her …

Her future was assured and she knew where she was going. Her mother knew what she wanted for her. She wanted her to take the Daidouji empire to the next level, but at the same time she also knew that her mother would never force her. As long as she knew what she wanted to do.

"But, you Haruka. I think you shouldn't give up as well. Before you, he had never introduced me to a girl that didn't even remotely resemble … her. I think be with you will be good for him. Maybe then, he can finally let go of her ghost." They both smiled at each other to give each other encouragement to tame two such hard-headed males. We should really go back now."

Meanwhile, the guys were having a conversation of their own in the locker room. At first, it was just about racing and the award he won so far. But then the mischievous part of Miharu surfaced. It was that moment that Touya was reminded that Miharu was not a little boy anymore. He was curious as any boy his age, and Touya couldn't really blame him … because he had such curiosity himself at his age.

Miharu lowered his voice, making sure that it would only be heard between the two of them. "So, how far have you gone with Lady Tomoyo."

The older man fought not to blush at the inquiry. From Fuuma it would have been nothing but normal, but Touya knew Miharu as a little boy. It was a little difficult to believe that the same little boy was asking him this question. He paused for a moment before sternly answering, "That is not a very appropriate question to ask."

"Hey, it's not like I'm a kid anymore. If you must know, I've had a few girlfriends since we last saw each other, so its not like I know nothing about it. So … tell me. How far?"

"Shut up, kid. I'm not discussing this with you."

Miharu frowned. "And there you go again. Dismissing something because of the age. You should really stop that."

"Whatever age you are, I am still not discussing that with you." After all, this was still something that he and Tomoyo had to discuss as well. His thoughts wandered to the scene in her room again. Her beautiful body splayed so carelessly on top of her bed - he quickly shook his head to get rid of the image. Again, he felt dirty thinking about his little sister's childhood friend that way.

Knowing he had to quickly change the subject, Touya also asked if he continued acting. Miharu answered that he still helped with the troupe from time to time, but he doesn't act full time anymore ever since he decided to pursue racing. The aspiring racer talked about adrenaline and speed with a lot of passion. Miharu then asked if Touya was still teaching. Touya told him that he was still teaching.

"I heard from Tomoyo you transferred. If you ask me, that was a very bad move."

This irked Touya a doesn't say anything about himself and Tomoyo when he wasn't even sure himself but he was tempted to tell him that he had been left with little choice. But he stopped himself in time. It wasn't that he didn't trust Miharu to keep a secret. It was just that the truth was he didn't know the younger boy very well. At the same time, he could also see how much Miharu resembled him too. Not in looks and personality - but actions and decisions. It was a little worrisome, especially the thought of Miharu making the same mistakes he made.

When he doesn't say anything, Miharu sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I can kind of understand why you did it, but you really hurt her. I don't really like that." After all these years, Miharu was still very protective of Tomoyo. He wasn't crushing on her anymore, but the affection for his sister-figure is still there.

Tomoyo never told him anything of course. She always went about every day with a smile on her face. He could still tell that she was thinking of Touya Kinomoto though. It wasn't really difficult, especially when she thinks no one is watching. She begins to have a dazed look with sad eyes. At first he thought she was thinking about everyday worries, like schoolwork or club duties. But then he saw the mood necklace around her neck turn pink …

_ … Loving, Affectionate, Warmth, Delight, Enchanted, Alright, Calmed, Pausing, Cool, Thoughtful, Curious, Pondering, Tender, Mystified, Unsure, Wonder/Shy, Infatuated, Charmed._

He had heard of the origins of that necklace … or at least rumors of it. It was a legend among other students that the necklace could accurately tell Tomoyo Daidouji's mood. Though before he did, no one had ever seen it turn pink. Maybe he was assuming too much, but he could guess who that person she was thinking was ...

"It is no different from what you are doing to that little girl."

"D-don't drag Haruka into this!" His cheeks turning very red.

Touya stared at him already knowing what was going through his head. It was the same thoughts he had when Tomoyo was ten years old. Back then, he also thought that he could easily bury his feelings for her in time. It wasn't until later that he was only successful in delaying the inevitable. It was impossible to bury them.

"What is going on between Tomoyo and I is between us. If you want me to give you the same courtesy, leave us be," Touya told him quietly. Miharu wasn't looking very happy after hearing that. "If you don't want to make the same mistakes I did, then I think you should start preventing yourself from doing them now. Because by the looks of it, you are on your way to doing them."

"Don't compare what I have with Haruka to what you have with Lady Tomoyo!"

"What is different?"

"I don't love her!"

There was a sound of a crash after this. They both turned to find, in their horror, that girls had returned with their drinks. The sound of the crash came from the cans that Haruka dropped. She was frozen on her spot for a few seconds before she turned around and ran out the door. Miharu was horrified with himself as well. Without thinking, he ran after her forgetting to wear his shoes. Touya was about to run after them, but Tomoyo stopped him.

"No," she whispered. "He needs to settle this himself … or else he will never forgive himself." Her eyes were begging him not to go. The grip she had on his hand was tight, but at the same time - her hands were shaking. She too understood what thoughts were going through the fragile twelve year old too.

He stares at her, but then nodded. He knew that at the moment that she needed him there much more than those two did. She was scared of something. Without his powers, he couldn't really read why properly .. but he could still guess. So instead of following, he stayed with her … and wrapped his arms around her to calm her shaking body. "I'll stay."

Only when he said those words that the shaking stopped.

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

They left the course a few minutes later after Tomoyo's hand stopped shaking. They didn't manage to see either Miharu or Haruka again. They didn't appear to be anywhere within the course anymore.

They were quietly walking side by side back to their homes. The atmosphere was a little awkward however. Neither of them really knew hoe to behave after that hug. Unfortunately, fate seemed to be in the mood to play a little joke. Halfway to their destinations it suddenly rained hard. It caught the both of them by complete surprise because just a few minutes ago it was a beautiful sunny day.

They found sanctuary under the cover outside a - hotel.

Neither of their phones had signals. It was really strange. They thought that rain would be over quickly, but almost fifteen minutes passed and the rain showed no signs of stopping. Tomoyo was getting cold and was wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. She hadn't thought to bring her jacket and was wearing a very flimsy dress. The wet fabric had caused the dress to cling to her body. It wasn't going unnoticed either. Behind them, guys were staring at her and whispering. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were thinking.

Touya glared at them and puts his jacket around Tomoyo. Since Touya was bigger and much stronger-looking, the guys did begin backing off. The way Touya was sending such a deadly glare, they could only assume that he was the cute girl's boyfriend. "You need it more than I do."

She smiled prettily and sighed. The jacket had Touya's scent and it was comforting to be engulfed in it. It felt like having his arms around her again. And as strange as it was, she also loved Touya's scent. It was so earthy and it really made her feel protected.

They waited a few minutes more, but there was no sign of it stopping. He knew the jacket wouldn't be able to help for long. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he then asked her, "Do you want to go inside and get a room? So we can call your house?" Of course someone would be home and would be able to pick her up in a matter of minutes.

That was what they _thought. _

Fate's practical jokes didn't seem to stop there. As soon as they had checked in, the bad luck didn't end there. The power went out and the phone lines died. It was only when they were surrounded by the darkness that they began to suspect - that something or someone else was coming to play. These happenings can't only be purely coincidental.

Neither of then believed in coincidence. There is only the inevitable.

"That bastard brat," Touya mumbled.

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

Meanwhile in England, a tall and smiling figure was watching these event occur from a gigantic crystal. He watched the annoyed and knowing expressions on the individuals in the crystals' faces. He chuckled because he knew that they probably finally figured out that what was happening wasn't a normal occurrence.

"Having fun?"

He didn't turn around. He recognized the voice already. "It seems these two are not as dense to the situation as my cute descendant and daughter were."

Kaho chuckled. "Well, Daidouji and Touya-kun had always been one of the sharpest people I know. That is why it confuses me how they could remain so clueless about their current circumstances." She stood beside him and watched the two people for a while before taking Eriol by the hand. "Leave them be for an hour or so. I don't think any progress will be done when they know you are watching them."

That made Eriol frown a little. Tomoyo Daidouji was almost like a precious daughter to him. How could he leave her alone with a male - even a male with so much honor like Touya. Eriol always thought of Touya as a son and trusted him. After all, he is the offspring of his other half. But the longing look he would sometimes give Tomoyo was enough to feel uncertain.

It was like Kaho knew what he was thinking. "She will be fine. I know Touya. He won't touch her. Not like this. He always placed honor above his own wants … and I doubt he will change that now." She gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Especially when they know that you could be watching. They are much too private to risk that."

He sighed. She was correct. "Alright. But an hour and no more than that." With that, he waved his hand over the crystal and the scene disappeared.

"Now, won't you help me catch Spinel-san? It seems Nakuru fed him sugar again."

Behind them, Spinel Sun's voice rang out. "I am king of ice cream mountain!"

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

The two of them didn't move from their parts of the bed for several minutes after understanding the situation. Touya was furious. He didn't like being manipulated, no matter how well-meaning the person is. He didn't want to feel like a puppet playing by a puppeteer's strings. Looking over to Tomoyo, he noticed that she looked just as uncomfortable as he was.

The awkwardness would have continued if they hadn't been interrupted by the sound of Tomoyo's phone. It was an email from Miharu. Apparently, Haruka had confessed to him earlier and now he didn't know what to do.

The text ended with: _"... she has always been like a sister to me."_

Tomoyo didn't text back. Those familiar words hurt her as well.

Men could be so insensitive.

Touya noticed the forlorn look as well and misunderstood the reason, believing it was because she was uncomfortable of being with him in the same room. He sighed. Since he was the gentleman, he had to be the one to take action. "We might be here for a while. You don't have to stay in the same room as me. I'll get another room."

Before he could leave, she stopped him by tugging on his shirt. "That won't work. He'll probably just use his magic to make this the only room available. He won't let us leave … until we stop pretending and settle this. He must be tired … and to be honest? So am I, Touya."

There. She finally said it.

He stared at her, looking lost and embarrassed."You're right," he admitted, returning to seat on the bed. He forced himself now to not look at her. Seeing her so near to a bed, was not helping his racing heart. Again. He was losing all sense of propriety again. But, didn't he always lose it when she's around? "I guess this is as good a time as any to talk."

"This doesn't have to be hard ..."

"But it is, Tomoyo," he said, pointedly. "Ten years ago I would never think of half things about you that I am thinking about now … and it makes me feel so dirt- wrong."

"Touya, I'm not ten years old anymore."

"I know and it is really difficult to look at you now. I see the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but when I look at her eyes - I see the ten year old girl that used to hang out with my sister."

A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. "There is a way to fix this you know."

"How-?"

Touya never got to finish his question, because the moment he turned she had closed her eyes … and kissed him. At first it was tentative … as tentative as their first kiss. It caught Touya by and was frozen on the spot for several seconds allowing Tomoyo to kiss him. It wasn't long before his hand began to move up her arms, taking time to feel her soft her skin through her wet clothes.

Soft lips, smooth skin …

… those lips … how he missed them.

But he knew that they should stop before "Tomoyo, we shouldn't do ..."

She stopped him by giving him another kiss. "Touya," she whispered softly. "I have been waiting for you … even before I knew that I was. No more waiting. I beg of you ..."

How could he refuse her?

_Propriety?_ What was that? He seems to have forgotten the meaning of the word.

"Your mother won't like this."

"She'll recover."

"The school will think we are insane."

"This is not their concern anymore. I have graduated."

"I might hurt you again."

"I am not as weak as you believe."

Each question she answered widened her amused smile and raised her eyebrow as if to dare him to make more excuses. But … now he really had none. And even he couldn't quite understand why he continued to make them. He returned her smile and reached to touch her cheek. She closed her eyes and felt, her heart pounding so hard that she was almost afraid it would leave her chest.

He gave another sigh. "The school just might be right. We are insane."

For one frightening moment, she was afraid that he would leave …

… but she was wrong. Very wrong. She felt strong hands carefully unbuttoning her blouse. She opened her eyes wide and stared at him, finding his grinning and mischievous smile greeting her.

She grinned back. "But you know … we might have an audience right now."

His fingers didn't stop. "If he was still watching, he would have already struck me with lightning."

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

"This year's Valedictorian! Ms. Tomoyo Daidouji!"

The room was filled with screams and shouts from all sides of the gymnasium. Syaoran, Sakura and Ryuuki were seated with the other graduates. Tomoyo saw Sonomi with Fujitaka, was beaming with pride and Eriol with cheering her on. And on the sidelines with the other teachers was Touya. He smiled at her and she a secret smile and she smiled back.

What Tomoyo didn't know was that Touya and Eriol actually had a small talk earlier. Eriol had told Touya that he would forgive him for _that day,_ since he considered the incident to be his fault as well.

_ "However, if you hurt her again in any way,"_ Eriol said. _"I will not forgive you. I will make sure that you experience a pain that you will never recover."_

There was blood on his lip. He quickly brushed it away. Touya didn't respond to the threat. He knew very well that he deserved it, but he still glared at his father's other half. He could understand why he did it, but it wasn't going to make him like the guy any better. Nothing will change, he still thinks Eriol is an annoying brat.

Miharu and Haruka were there too. Both were looking happy. Tomoyo smiled at them too. Not long after the confession, Miharu had sent another text to her telling her that he and Haruka had decided to wait if love does bloom in a few more years. It would also give Haruka enough time to decide if she was serious about him or not. By the looks of it though, discouraging Haruka might be a lot more difficult than he bargained for.

She really hoped that the two would find happiness whatever fate had decided for them.

Her eyes went back to the podium. Today, she would finally be the last time she would be walking these halls and rooms as a _'student.' _After today, she could finally be an adult. When she finally reached the podium, the crowd silenced themselves and waited for her to begin her speech.

_"My fellow graduating students, family, friends … and teachers. I want to thank you all for being here for us on this momentous occasion. No word can describe the joy I feel to be the person to be who stands before you today. Four years ago, we entered these halls as freshmen - and today we leave … as adults." _

She was forced to pause because another applause erupted. Only when they settled down again did she continue.

_ "I remember my first day here. The anxiety, the fear … it felt like a whole new world. Together, we adapted to new peers, new rules, new teachers...our years here allowed us to become the individuals we are now. It was a difficult journey - and I know that the journey will only get more difficult from here. Future challenges and difficulties will allow us to continue to grow, and honestly … I can't wait to see you all again after we leave these halls. Again, thank you, fellow graduates. We did it! And may all our futures be as bright as stars!"_

Another applause was made and this time it was even louder. There was a lot of hugging, a lot of jumping and a lot of crying. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the people noticed that Tomoyo had yet to leave the podium. It seemed like … she wasn't finished yet. Everyone turned to the podium, still very confused.

"There is more I wish to share with all of you, because I believe … that it is time." She raised her hand to the crowd and showed everyone - what looked like a ring on her finger. Not just any ring. It was a wedding ring. This triggered gasps and silence from the audience. She turned to the direction where Touya was.

"My name as of today is Tomoyo Kinomoto."

More gasps and shouts followed after this revelation. Many of Tomoyo Daidouji's fans cried in unison, Sonomi - was in a state of shock while Fujitaka was trying his best to comfort her. And then all eyes turned towards Touya Kinomoto whom had become very serious. He had his eyes closed, but he could feel a lot of murderous intent directed his way and a bit of shock. Sakura and Syaoran didn't look surprised. Sakura had been the maid of honor, while Syaoran had acted as the best man. It had been difficult keeping a big secret like this from everyone.

"A few days ago, I didn't even know the direction I wish for my future. I didn't know where I wanted to go after I left. People have continued to remind me of the endless possibilities. But there is only one thing that I have always wanted … I wanted to stay by the side of someone I love. That is why … this symbol on my finger has made me the happiest woman in the world."

At this point, Sonomi seemed to have woken up from her daze and was fighting with Fujitaka. Clearly, she wanted to go over to the younger man and give him a piece of her mind for not bringing her to her own daughter's wedding.

"So, I know this is sudden, but everyone … I hope you will continue to support us. I beg of you." She bowed her head low, nervous and fearful of what the answer would be. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait for long. Ryuuki was the first to clap his hands for them and seconds later, the whole student body followed.

Slowly, Tomoyo lifted her head. She was clearly overjoyed.

Touya jumped off the bleachers and made his way towards his wife. Tomoyo ran down the stage and ran into his arms. The cheers became louder and at that moment, a legend was born.

The next year, the younger years began telling the story of a teacher and a student's patience and their 8 year _sort-of _courtship. Not many were willing to believe it. They thought it was a romance from a manga or a very imaginative storyteller. A nice story to tell, but one that can't possibly be true.

The students who didn't know it was Tomoyo had always asked why he didn't simply choose someone else knowing the risks. He could have lost his license to teach or much worse. Had it been really worth it?

"He could have lost his job, right? It's a little silly to give it all up because of one girl."

"You'd give it up for Daidouji-sempai, right?" One student teased, not knowing how accurate he was in hitting the target.

"Th-that's different! And besides, its not like she'd really do something like that, right? She wouldn't be that kind of girl."

Those who knew had always just smiled a knowing smile and answered, "That teacher had always said that, knowing that she grows up in beauty … it was difficult to walk away and not wish to keep coming back to see her again. To see how beautiful she is now … unfortunately, each time he left the more impossible it was … to let go ..."

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

**The End**

_§·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·§_

**Author's Notes: **And it is finally the end! It almost took me two years, but at least I finally finished it. I wanted to retire this year, but with so many stories still unfinished, I don't think it will be happening after all. I love writing and I am glad people are still reading even though it takes me forever to update. Thank you for bearing with me these past few months of slowness.

My next work will be up to my readers to decide. I have started on two stories: _Fox Rain_ and _The Mage and the Tsukuyomi-no-kami_. If it is alright, because I cannot seem to decide by myself … please vote for the story I should concentrate on. I love both too much to choose.

Watch out for my next _TouyaxTomoyo_ fic called, _'Feeling Trinka Trika.' - _maybe. If I have time. I am trying to decide what it should be. Most likely it will be a oneshot that can be considered an alternate ending of this fic. Like_ 'what if Touya and Tomoyo didn''t marry and Tomoyo pursued a career in singing."_

**Other Notes: **

**Haruka** **Shindou** – I think I am watching too much Morning Musume videos. Haruka is actually inspired from _Haruka Kudo of Morning Musume._ She isn't really my favorite in the group, but I do understand why she is one of the most popular. I admit that I like Haruka's boyish appeal, which is the complete opposite of how I pictured Miharu's first love Erina. Funnily, I based Erina on another H!P talent named Karin Miyamoto.

_Review Replies:_

_Kiss2lips:_ Yes, Kyahhh~ I am always happy to see someone reading my work. Thank you for letting me know how I feel.

_Whathappenedtotruelove:_ I actually started as an Eriol and Tomoyo shipper. I still am! But I wanted to experiment a little … even I didn't expect to like it. Now I am glad I wrote it. I hope you continue to like my stories!

_Aiden:_ I have and now it is finished~ Thank you so much for all your reviews, Aiden!

_PaochiCute:_ I don't know about saving you from despair, but here is the last chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

_MimoRei13:_ Don't worry about Ryuuki. I never planned for him to have a sad ending. In Cardcaptor Sakura, nobody ever got a sad ending and I wasn't planning for it to start. I am glad you like Ryuuki. He is a sweet kid. Very excitable, but a good kid.

_Ati-Cha:_ Seeing someone say that, makes me extremely happy! Thank you so much!

_Randomgurf: _Haha! I won't, I am just slow but I had ever intention of updating this. Thank you so much. I am glad you like it. I sincerely do.

_Random asian guy_: Haha! Yes! It is unabandoned! Best? Wow, what a compliment! It makes me so happy to hear that!

_Halfbloodkat_: Sorry for the slowness ...

_isabella-silver:_ LOL I had every intention to finish! Just very slowly. I just finished my thesis, and majority of my slowness is because of that. I am so glad that you like it. ^^ I hope I continue to write more of anything you will like.


End file.
